Not Robin all the Time: Trust the Instinct (Season Two)
by AkinaSky
Summary: Stiles has survived the Alpha and the Hunters, he'd come out of the closet - sort of and now he would have to get back to normal only nothing is normal anymore. He has a new alpha and werewolf pack to help, school to continue and now there's something out there that's scarier than the alpha. And that was before the Argents called in reinforcements. Sterek and other ships.
1. Gives Me Hell

**Chapter One: Gives Me Hell**

Author's Note: Slightly Updated not much is different, just fixed a couple things.

"Dad, are you still okay with me going over to Lydia's place?" Stiles asked even while Derek watched Dr. Marcus drive out of driveway just behind the cruiser. The alpha werewolf closed the door and walked back into the living room and settled on the arm of the couch next to Stiles while the sheriff cleaned up from the meeting. Derek pressed a hand to Stiles's shoulder in comfort.

"You asking me if I'm okay with you staying the night with Lydia or with the fact that Derek is going to be there too? In close proximity to my underage son who he's possibly dating?"

"Dad," Stiles scoffed though it was partially for show and partially to hide the fact that his heart rate spiked at the possibility of his dad telling them that Derek couldn't be there which blasted him right into explaining mode, "You know better than anyone that we aren't going to get up to anything. I wouldn't do that at Lydia's house anyway unless it was with Lydia," Stiles waggled his eyebrows and heard Derek's low growl before he chuckled and slapped at Derek's knee, "I'm just kidding, don't be a Jealouswolf. So Dad seriously, pack dynamics are incredibly important to build with nascent wolves especially since they weren't bitten by Derek. He is taking on betas that don't have that instant connection already. He is going to have to build it, mostly through teaching them to control the shift and physical closeness. We are all going to be spending a lot of time together for the next couple months. And on the personal note, Derek and I don't know anything about what's happening between us. You don't have to worry about that. My purity is safe."

"Breathe Stiles," Derek reminded gently as he rubbed his hand across the back of Stiles's neck and down his back. Stiles looked up at his alpha and rolled his eyes wildly even as he took a deep breath and obeyed the man. Listening might be in everyone's best interest but Stiles didn't have to 'like' it.

"How do you know all this?" the Sheriff asked in disbelief.

"I read," Stiles said with another hard roll of his eyes then added, "I asked Derek a lot of probing questions too."

"Should've known," the man said with a sigh and stared at both of them, attempting the father's stare though he hadn't used it much in the past few years so it mostly just looked moody and annoyed. "You come home tomorrow night before Monday, that's final."

Stiles nodded, he didn't really feel like being away from home for too long anyway. It was just too hard to know all the variables in a house that he didn't know. And despite his long standing obsession with the strawberry blonde goddess, he'd never actually been in her house. Lydia's house was too big with too many windows and Derek would probably have to come in stealth-style anyway. It would be a good way to make a plan but he didn't need the stress of staying away from home for days on end. They would just have to figure out a way to be all together as the bonds were forming. Everything he'd researched said that this time was important to the betas and Derek and it wasn't just that, he could feel it in the back of his mind.

"Okay, go get your stuff."

Stiles gave a half-assed fist pump and looked at the stairs mournfully thinking of the energy that it would take to get back up them then back to Derek who just sighed and walked away, shaking his head as he trudged up the stairs. The sheriff chuckled and Stiles frowned at him, "What?"

"He said it when you were in the hospital but I feel like I should say it too just so you know the kind of power you are so shamelessly wielding right now," the Sheriff stated. "Derek is the alpha and from what you and he have told me that is a level of respect and power and yet he seems unable to tell you no when you need something. Don't use it to get in to deep too fast and don't use it to hurt him."

Stiles stared at his father, surprised that the man was actually a little concerned about the werewolf. Then he thought about it for a second, sucked in a deep breath at the sick realization that came with it and scrambled out of the seat and upstairs. He felt every ache and pain but it didn't matter because he had done whatever he needed to do so that Derek would know that he was safe and that he would _never_ be used for any reason by Stiles. He stumbled into his bedroom wincing hiss slipping out between his teeth just as the alpha was finishing tucking some clothes into a duffle bag, which already carried Stiles's laptop and a few 'Stiles essentials' though the teenager didn't know how the werewolf knew that he needed his pillow. That wasn't important despite the curl of warmth in his chest. He couldn't handle the thought that Derek might feel he was being taken advantage of, again.

"Hey, I was just about done," Derek said with a raised brow looking sour about the fact that Stiles was clearly in pain and running around needlessly.

"I didn't mean to tell you what to do," Stiles blathered out quickly before he lost his nerve. His arms tucked around his chest, trying to force the ache back down so he could focus on the man in front of him.

Derek frowned at him in confusion, "Excuse me?"

He waved one arm, holding his hand out in surrender palm and wrist up, "I didn't mean to do that, I'm not your boss or someone who wants you to do my bidding no questions asked. I don't want that!"

Stiles steeled his nerve before walking over and grabbed at the duffel bag trying to jerk it away but Derek refused to let it go, reaching over and pressing his palm over the top of Stiles's knuckles to stop the human's struggle. Stiles looked at him as he spoke, "Hey weirdo. I am up here because this is a small way I can be helpful to you. When it comes to the pack and your safety, I am going to tell you exactly what needs to happen but even then I am willing to listen to you. Specifically you. And it has nothing to do with this thing, whatever it is, between us. It's because to me, you are a partner in this pack and in the eyes of the betas, we are equal. You and me are equal. I don't know why it's true but they listen to you even more than they listen to me. You're not Kate and you don't treat me like some doll to be played with or bossed around, you're caring and brave."

Stiles flinches at her name couldn't help it. He couldn't stop it and Derek noticed. The alpha didn't mention it; he just tightened his hand over Stiles's fist in comfort. As stupid as it sounded in his head, Stiles was comforted because Derek knew better than anyone what kind of damage Kate had done to them.

"Now come on, Lydia and the others are going to be waiting."

Stiles nodded and they headed back downstairs, Derek taking the duffel bag despite Stiles's grumbling. Then to complete ruin the picture of a 'completely capable individual' Stiles was trying to play he needed Derek's assistance on the stairs, moaning in pain until Derek slipped his free hand under the edge of Stiles's shirt and leached away the body wide ache.

He let his dad hug him and only squeezed a little when the man started to let go, stupid trauma making him want to cling to the man. It had still only been about a week and a half since he was in the hospital and sometimes it was difficult to imagine what a huge change had occurred for him, bigger than werewolf best friends and sexual identity crisis.

This was so big it made the idea of sleeping over at someone's house a source of anxiety and honestly Stiles was pissed about it. Now the only reason Stiles could get into the Jeep was because Derek was driving it and the others would be there.

It was a short trip across town made in relative silence and surprisingly it's not awkward. When they get to the Martin residence Derek grabbed the bag and glared at Stiles until the teen flopped back into the seat and waited. The alpha moved quickly around the front of the vehicle and opened the door, helping Stiles out which he would never admit to anyone except maybe Scott that he really enjoyed the attention and the care. Then he waved Derek away and they both walked up to the door and the teenager pushes the doorbell, listening to the deep gong from inside while Derek leaned against the wall far enough away to make it seem like he was going to just disappear at a moment's notice. No matter how absentee a parent is, they are probably going to have a problem with grown man hanging out with her sixteen year old daughter and her friends.

Lydia opens it a minute later, dressed casually in comfortably washed out pair of jeans and a sweater that makes her look even smaller than he knows her to be. "Come on in you two, don't worry about hiding Hale, my mother is out on a date with my father and they are both being weirdly quiet about it though it's probably because I'm not supposed to know about it."

Stiles shrugged since she seemed like she was just going to keep talking either way which was weird to begin with. Lydia Martin having a conversation in her foyer with Stiles Stilinski, even thinking it sounded funny. He followed her into the house and then they walked down a narrow flight of stairs into a large space possibly called a den. It had several large screen televisions, table top games and couches strewn all over the place.

He gazed around the space, finding that Jackson was there, sitting in a loveseat on his own though Lydia looked like she was ready to flop down into his lap. Allison was sitting in one of the large window seats and looking outside.

"Scott?" Stiles asked Lydia.

"He'll be down in a minute, they needed a break from each other." Stiles watched as she nodded between Jackson and Allison with meaning. Stiles nodded, there was plenty of stuff to work out but at least they were all together.

Stiles flopped ungracefully into one of the other couches and Derek took up his position on the arm next to him, pressing a hand into the cushion just beyond Stiles's shoulder. The Alpha could reach down and touch him at any point, a comforting thought for the teenager. It was fast becoming their go to seating arrangement. Stiles reached over for his other hand and wound his fingers through Derek's and held them tightly as Lydia and Jackson watched them with still gazes.

"So what are we all doing here then?" Jackson asked snidely.

Stiles rolled his eyes, "We are here because we have all been irretrievably changed by the supernatural elements in this god forsaken town and here we are, all of us, in need of something."

"And that something would be?" Lydia asked with a courtly sniff though it seemed like she was putting on a show for her boyfriend.

"A leader, a pack, an alpha," Stiles said and tightened his grip on Derek's clammy hand. He wondered what part of this was causing the stress response for the alpha: the fact that he was trying to be there for a group of teenagers too dumb to want or need him or that he didn't know if he trusted himself to be the alpha they would need. Stiles refused to let go either way because it didn't matter as long as Derek knew he wasn't alone.

"I don't need any of those things," Jackson snorted. "I'm glad to have the power, once it manifests but I am all about control. I don't need your help to make that happen."

"You don't know what it does," Scott snarled, startling Stiles as he walked into the open space bringing everyone's gaze to him even as Stiles pressed a hand to his chest where his heart was jackhammering. Derek gently moved his hand over Stiles's heart and started breathing in and out slowly to help him steady as Scott continued. "You don't know what it's like."

Jackson chortled, as he not so gently pushed Lydia up and off of him. She huffed in annoyance and walked over to Allison and pressed a hand to her shoulder while Jackson squared off with Scott. Derek pulled Stiles to a stop when he tried to get up to intervene. The alpha just shook his head and Stiles huffed in annoyance echoing the strawberry-blonde, wondering when he and Lydia had started to sound oh so similar.

"Tell me what it's like McCall? Tell me of the hardship of being able to run faster, hear things you shouldn't be able to hear and everything! Tell me!" he growled.

"Yeah you can run faster but I have been running from people who want to kill me more often than not. I can hear people saying awful things about me, listening as they tell all the ways that what I am is a monster and the world would be a better place when I am dead! I can hear when my mother declared that she believed I was a cheater and it was more likely that I was taking steroids and lying to her then anything else. Is that the amazing gift of the bite?"

Stiles wanted to slap Scott for the 'bite is a gift' jab but he just focused on the argument because that's where this was going without a doubt. He could always deal with Scott's jerkiness later. Jackson paused and he looked for a second like he was going to consider what Scott was saying then his grin turned cold and feral, a look that was more like something Stiles had seen on Kate's face. Not a pleasant thought. "This ruined your life. Yours! It's not going to ruin mine, I am going to be ready for it," he paused looking contemplative, "You know what it's like? It's like mommy and daddy got you a Porsche for your sixteenth birthday when they should've started you out with a nice little Honda. Me. I drive a Porsche."

"Yeah, that your mommy and daddy pay for," Stiles muttered and everyone turned to him in surprise.

Jackson glared at him, "I don't need any of this and I don't need any of you!"

"Jackson!" Lydia called as he headed for the door.

"Don't call me Lydia, not while you are planning to be a part of this little circus freak show."

"Are you breaking up with me?" Lydia shrieked, "After I stayed with you despite the thing with Allison and now you're leaving me?"

"Dumping you actually," he said with a nod then walked out.

They all sat in stunned silence for a minute then Stiles stood up and walked the two steps towards Lydia who just crumpled into his chest with a whimper that quickly morphed into a small cry. Stiles held her gently for a second then she pushed off of him, pressed a kiss to his cheek batted her eyelashes then walked upstairs like nothing had even happened leaving the rest of them in silence.

It was enough silence for Stiles to realize that he'd been holding Lydia Martin and then she kissed his cheek and there wasn't any desire to follow her because that would mean leaving Derek and the others and he couldn't do that. Stiles was left dumbstruck and Derek smirking in regards to his facial expression, "Something is seriously wrong with me."

"Why do you say that?" Derek asked, looking like he was trying desperately not to laugh.

Stiles glared at him, figuring the Sourwolf who suddenly had a sense of humor was not allowed to get away with laughing at him without at least some glaring and pouting on Stiles' part. "Because I don't really wanna hit that anymore, I mean she's still the smartest person I know, probably even smarter than me but I just really like her when she's not being what everyone thinks she should be. I don't want to kiss her, or make her fall in love with me anymore though."

"Hmm," Derek said and left it at that.

"Don't 'hmmm' me; this is entirely your fault you know." This was said with an angry finger waggle in Derek's direction as he continued, "Everything changed when your family came back to Beacon Hills."

Derek looked down and sighed sadly, "I know."

"Hey," Stiles said and shoved the werewolf's shoulder even has he tucked himself close offering physical comfort to the suddenly morose man because he knew how much Derek thrived with a little bit of closeness and honestly he could do with a little touching too, "None of that. I wouldn't undo it, just letting you know that at least part of this is on you for being so freaking mysterious then amazing the longer I knew you, I was perfectly happy in my little Lydia Martin obsessed world. Now things are different."

Because he really _liked_ Derek Hale and he would take every opportunity to kiss the guy again if Derek was up for it though he wasn't planning on pushing the issue for either one of them. They had danced at the formal and kissed a little and there was something here but they had in no way identified the relationship. Now that they were actively choosing to be partners, all the extraneous feelings for a certain strawberry blonde genius had just been swept away in the truth of the love he felt for Derek.

Though if he was realistic about everything, love didn't give them a leg up in any of this, it was just enough to know that they cared about each other and they weren't alone. And speaking of not being alone, Scott and Allison were still across the room from each other, not looking at each other with Stiles and Derek standing together in the middle.

"So what's up with you two?" Stiles asked as he stayed pressed against Derek's side. It was comforting to stand there and the heat coming off of the alpha was enough to keep the little anxious shivers at bay. The longer they stood there, the more his mind was starting to wander and wonder. Where was Jackson and Lydia? Where were all the exits and entrances down here? Were they locked? Were they being watched? Was Kate still in town? Would she be following them?

And that didn't even account for the fact that all the Argent hunters knew about Scott and Derek as well as Stiles's support of them, who knew what they were going to do. Stiles didn't know any of them well enough to say that Allison was safe with her mother or father, didn't know if any of them were going to survive them knowing.

"So the reason that Jackson and Allison were in the vault was to forestall the call of the moon, right?" Scott asked and Allison scoffed then groaned.

"Yes, that's what Deaton told us," Derek said which was good since Stiles didn't really know what they were talking about. He had the highlights but none of the details for what happened 24/7 while he was being kidnapped by the Beacon Hills Villain Club.

He could just hear Derek saying to him, _'You can't call them that, Stiles. They didn't even like each other, why would they be in a club together?'_ he thought with a grin as Scott glared at them and Allison in turn.

"What's up Scott?" Stiles finally blurted.

"She made out with Jackson then blamed the moon's pull. Like when I was getting all weird around the full moon."

Stiles's eyebrows rose in surprise, "What?"

"You were a stalker!" Allison suddenly snapped, rising and crossing her arms over her chest, even as her eyes started to flash yellow. "You listened to private conversations and used that information to date me. I thought you were so sweet, especially on my birthday only to figure out later on that your best friend was held back. I can't believe you would do all that, I don't even know you!"

"And that constitutes cheating on me with my least favorite person in the world?"

"No, I didn't do that on purpose. The vault kept us from turning but it still felt like a monster being tethered by a single piece of thread and the emotions and the hormones were elevated already, I'd been feeling it for most of the day."

Stiles looked at Derek who shrugged, "It's possible. The change is very powerful especially at the beginning though I don't remember my initial shift anymore. The call of the moon may have been contained by the vault but it wouldn't have completely shut down everything going on inside your body."

"But you don't know for sure?" Scott demanded.

Stiles moved away from Derek, holding his hands out steady in front of him and spoke, "Buddy? What's going on here? You both screwed up in your own ways because of the werewolf thing, is chucking those mistakes in each other's faces really going to make anything better?"

Derek stood and pressed a hand down onto Stiles's shoulder, "You are both still so new, maybe you would both feel better after you have some control? Some distance from each other?"

"Are you commanding, Alpha?" Scott sneered and Stiles rolled his eyes while Derek grumble-growled in frustration.

"What the hell Scott!" Stiles snapped, pushing Scott in the chest because they weren't going to get anywhere with everyone at each other's throats and now it was like Scott was itching for a fight, the only problem was that Scott's eyes flashed and he grabbed Stiles by the shirt and threw him against the opposite wall. The human teenager crumpled to the floor and the pain blossomed across his back as everything creaked and moaned. He heard and _felt_ Derek's roar deep in his chest even as he heard it in his ears as the Alpha grabbed Scott by the throat and shoved him up against the wall. The beta struggled as Stiles breathed through the pain and tried to stand.

"Derek, stop. Put him down, please," he begged as Allison appeared next to him and helped him to his feet. She wrapped an arm around his lower back and hiked him up a little more with some extra strength that made Stiles feel even smaller and weaker. He couldn't wait for the chance to learn how to fight; seriously being thrown around by everyone around him was getting old.

Derek was still pressing Scott into the wall, Scott's hands were gripped around the alpha's fingers and both of their eyes were flashing. In fact Allison's eyes were flashing too and she was staring at Derek like she wanted to interject but the call of her alpha was enough to keep her back, she was listening to the pack instincts and that was good. Stiles and Derek could work with that.

Stiles had no compunction, he walked forward and though it was clearly making her uncomfortable Allison stayed with him. The human reached out and pressed a hand into Derek's straining shoulder and he pulled his friend, alpha, pack-mate, mate…whatever Derek was to him: all of the above?

Derek growled over his shoulder and Stiles scoffed at the wolf-like argument, "Come on Protectorwolf, put him down."

"He hurt you," Derek sneered.

"He's your beta and he's still new. Put him down. I didn't help, I made it worse. I should've remembered that this isn't my asthmatic little buddy anymore, this is my werewolf bud. It's not completely his fault."

"I don't care, no one is going to hurt you, especially your pack!"

Stiles knew he was going to have to get a handle on this quickly, Derek was losing track of the human part and the teenager knew that the scent of his pain wasn't helping. Derek was so attuned to it now. Scott was still looking petulant and like he wanted to argue and Stiles wondered if this had something to do with Rafael, which might help him later but saying that name out loud would only egg Scott on. Stiles wasn't a werewolf and even he could sense the rising tension of the werewolves, as if there was a true bid for the alpha status. He also knew better than anyone that this was part of Derek choosing to be the alpha, choosing to care. They were both volatile and apparently Stiles was going to have to keep the two snapping teeth away from each other while also not getting bit in the process.

The alpha must have tightened his grip because Scott suddenly gasped while his face cleared of any petulance and anger, "Derek, I didn't mean it."

"He needs to be safe Scott, are you going to keep taking your frustration out on him?"

Scott scrabbled again at the alpha's fist and Stiles kept gently pulling at Derek's shoulder just to feel when the muscles started to loosen and finally Scott dropped to his feet again and started coughing. Derek turned around though he snarled at the struggling beta as he turned, getting the last 'word' before he brought Stiles close for a hug, air heaving in and out of his lungs. It was enough to remind them both that Derek had almost self-destructed when Stiles went missing; him getting hurt was just going to cause some friction especially if he was getting hurt by someone who cared about it. The teenager smiled into the alpha's shoulder and groaned when Derek's grip got too tight. Derek released him though he kept his big hands on the teen's hips and pressed his lips to Stiles's forehead, then shifted to take in his scent at his temple. The hot air from Derek's flaring nostrils wafting over Stiles's skin was weirdly comforting.

"Are you okay?" the alpha asked, his voice wobbling though he was pulling it together quickly. Stiles couldn't help but feel a little pride about the werewolf that had been so terrified of caring and here he was—fighting for his pack even though it was apparently going to be painful and messy for a while.

Stiles nodded, he could feel where Derek was pulling his pain away for a moment before the teen shrugged it off. He found out that feeling of relief from the pain drain left a similar fuzzy feeling that some hard narcotics left behind and he wasn't done here. "I'm safe here Derek, Scott is going to learn to control his mood swings and Allison is going to learn to blend and we are all going to be okay but you can't throw your betas around every time one of them fights with me, they need to trust you just as much as I do. I tend to annoy people even Scott, it's all a part of my charm."

Derek rolled his eyes at the smirk Stiles was wearing at the moment though it was genuine, "Stiles, you just got out of the hospital and she's still out there and of all the places that I need you to be safe when you are with your pack is the most important. We protect," he turned and glared at Scott who just sneered back to the tune of Stiles's groan of annoyance as Derek continued, "Each other. We are always there for each other and we don't hurt each other. That's pack. That's fam—" Derek choked on the last word and Stiles pressed his hand to Derek's neck in comfort.

"Stiles, I'm sorry man," Scott wheezed, Stiles glared at him knowing that the young werewolf had already healed and he was just looking for sympathy. Scott chuckled and looked abashed so he shrugged and pressed his other hand to Scott's shoulder.

"It's all good man but seriously, just punch me next time, maybe in the shoulder or the stomach. It would be easier than being thrown against a wall."

Derek growled and Stiles tried really hard _not_ to think that was the most endearing thing he'd ever seen or heard. Then he cleared his throat and stretched out his sore muscles and clapped. Everyone flinched and glared at him not that it stopped him from scrubbing his hands together and speaking, "Look we all survived the full moon but we have things to do. Derek, when you had trouble controlling your shift, what did you do?"

That easily led them all back to what they were here for; Derek laid out a relatively formatted plan. It would include them going to school and being normal humans during the week then they would all meet either at the Martin residence if Lydia was still willing to host them or the McCall's or the Stilinski's after school to train. The training would include running and playing, which would help with the werewolf energy then there was also hand to hand (though Derek didn't know much more than rough and tumble fighting), and learning how to find and utilize an anchor. Stiles was looking forward to researching the best form of defensive fighting for them to learn.

"All werewolves are capable of a full shift to a wolf form, we are a little larger than timber wolves but not enough to really be different to humans who don't know about werewolves and wolves but an anchor is necessary for that final shift."

"Why?" Allison asked.

Derek paused and looked at Stiles who was scrambling around his bag for a notebook which the Alpha had packed for him. Such a softie under all that gruff, Stiles thought. He winked at Derek when he was ready.

"Being the wolf, it's a release of the most human part of us. I am still me when I am in that form but an anchor keeps us human. Its about balance."

"I have an anchor," Scott said, arms crossed as they were standing in the big backyard of the Martin's. Lydia had rejoined and decided to watch them all make fools of themselves though she looked a little worse for wear after the official dumping from Jackson. She settled in the porch swing, Stiles sitting next to her while the werewolves were standing in loose formation in front of them.

"You did but you need something that is always with you, it would be better if you have multiple anchors. Its private and you don't necessarily have to share but maybe it would be good to talk about what they could be."

"What's yours?" Allison asked in her pretty princess voice and Stiles watched as Derek shifted under her watchful gaze. The alpha was desperately not looking at Stiles though he didn't know why, was the werewolf concerned that it would be more than they could handle? The teenager had no idea and he didn't have anything he could add to the conversation so he stayed quiet.

"Once upon a time, meaning a couple of weeks ago my anchor was anger. I used what I felt, impotent rage to control the shift but I hadn't been able to achieve a full shift for years. I knew what I was giving up but I didn't have the surrender required for the full shift anymore."

"But now you can," she responded and she looked over at the porch, right into Stiles's eyes, he flushed under her gaze though he didn't know why.

"Yes, I can because I found something more freeing and stronger than anger. I found pack. I found someone who was there for me no matter what, even if what we have isn't exactly what he would like it to be, he stuck by me and encouraged me to take heart and have faith. Stiles showed me how to live again and that was more powerful than anything anger had ever done for me. I could never thank him enough for that and he did it by caring. The freedom he gave me, that's my anchor. It doesn't necessarily depend on him—it comes from actions that he took and things he did for me. Even if things aren't always good, even if we fight or we aren't always together he is always going to be that freedom for me. Do you see the difference?" The last was said to Scott.

Stiles smiled softly at the alpha who just kept on explaining when Scott responded, "My love for Allison is my anchor."

"And you're struggling because you don't know if she's yours?" Derek asked gently. More gently than he had ever sounded with the teen wolf in the past.

"I don't belong to you!" Allison added and her eyes flashed in anger, Scott's did too but there was so much hurt in his eyes that the anger response was nothing more than a facade.

"This is why having multiple anchors can be helpful especially when they center around another person. Now let's try to just change the claws. Okay, begin!"

As Derek continued to show Allison and Scott how to start controlling the partial shift, moving from the claws to the fangs and the fun changes to their bone structure and their hair. Stiles looked over at Lydia who was staring off into the forest.

"Lydia, you doing okay with all this?"

"You remember when my dad and mom divorced and my dad left?" she asked suddenly and Stiles was left dumbstruck: mouth open and gaping, hands frozen on his knees and his eyebrows making a real effort to climb into his hairline kind of dumbstruck. He didn't want to stop this though so he just nodded.

"It was right before seventh, right?"

She nodded and crossed her arms imperiously, "I have always been pretty."

"Yeah," Stiles snorted. He remembered thinking that from the time they were in first grade together. She was always well dressed and beautiful, even in the childish chub kind of way. He'd always figured if he was going to love someone, it would be someone beautiful and smart—Lydia Martin fit the bill.

Then again, so did Derek Hale. He didn't know much about the smart part but Stiles figures the goodness in Derek makes him totally a stellar option. Stiles had no doubt Derek was smart but it probably wasn't Latin speaking, Mathematics awards sort of smart. It was the kind of smart that would undoubtedly lead him to being an amazing alpha, given the chance.

"I remember how nice you were to me and I ignored you," Stiles shook off the Derek mooning when Lydia started talking again and he nodded at her intently "I was rude and dismissive. What Jackson did to me the other day; I had never been on the other side of that. Until now."

"Okay?" Stiles asked, not having any idea where this was going.

"I did that to you all the time, at some point I didn't even notice you anymore. You were just a part of the teeming masses who would worship me on a daily basis."

Stiles snorted, "You're not helping yourself here and I don't get where this is going."

"You were always nice to me and I didn't deserve it, maybe being here in the midst of werewolves and attacks and whatever all of this is, maybe its best for me though I don't really like it at all. Maybe I became friends with Allison for a reason, so I could end up here with all of you, knowing that she would stick by me and knowing that you would care about me no matter how much I didn't deserve it. Maybe that's what I need. Real friends."

"That's pretty woo-woo for you Miss Martin," Stiles returned, frowning because it _was_ interesting coincidence that two people in Lydia's life had been turned, that he would have been basically stalking her since forever only to become the 'gay best friend' not that he was gay or maybe he wasn't so easily labeled as that. He didn't want her anymore and Stiles didn't know if he really believed in fate, there wasn't enough to go on there but he could understand Lydia asking the question.

They were all asking questions.

 _Why me? Why here?_

 _Werewolves, seriously? Hunters of the supernatural?_

 _Peter Hale? Kate Argent?_

Stiles needed a lot of answers but how they all ended up together wasn't one of them, he was just glad that he wasn't alone. He figured the reason his dad was being so cool about all of this was because he was glad his son wasn't on his own anymore, especially considering Kate.

Besides his friendship with Scott, Stiles had always been alone because he was too smart or too spastic to fit into any clique or group of friends. He wasn't athletically gifted, he wasn't capable of singing or playing an instrument, he'd had piano lessons when he was younger and it had turned into a disaster for _everyone_ involved. His instrument was his mind and he played it to the best of his ability but rarely had any other person noticed the worth of his mind because of his sarcasm and the diagnosis of ADHD. His professors were fed up with his antics and his sarcasm, especially when it didn't line up with his written 'on paper' intelligence. He'd been accused of cheating more than once, Scott's mini meltdown about being accused of steroids when he had been cheating – werewolf style had been nothing compared to the multiple occasions when his attitude in class had distracted everyone from his intelligence and his teachers were 'left' with the 'only' choice—that he must be stealing papers online. Oh if they only knew he was selling them to college students, they would be surprised and also pressing some sort of charges for educational mischief… Stiles didn't know, he'd looked things up and selling them might be highly frowned upon it wasn't actually illegal.

His dad was the Sheriff, he knew things. Because of all this, Stiles was conveniently used to be accused in school and no one wanted to be connected to that.

Scott had been in his life such a long time that they had essentially just accepted each other's foibles for what they were. Stiles's sarcasm and intelligence was something that Scott used to his advantage or he ignored it when it was inconvenient. Scott's puppy routine was something Stiles had just learned to ignore because he used it so much. They weren't friends because of their academics or athletic abilities; they were friends because they had always been there for each other through the worst and best of time. But now he had Derek in his life, someone who seemed genuinely pleased with his presence no matter what he was blathering on about and sometimes he got a little heady at the idea of Derek being around for a long time.

He could dig what Lydia was setting down, he pressed a hand to her shoulder, "You don't have to go back to being the preppy cold Lydia, ya know?"

"What if I want to?" she asked, about as prissy as she could get—trying desperately to lift the mask back up after a moment's weakness. Strange that Stiles found the face under the mask to be so much more relatable and that's probably why she was desperate to slip back into 'vapid' Lydia who didn't know the difference between jungle cats and where they haled. Plus, Stiles figured, she didn't know if she could trust them yet. It had taken a lifetime for Stiles and Scott, it had taken some similar trauma and a lot of time spent in each other's company for Stiles and Derek to get to this acceptance of caring.

Stiles shrugged in answer to her desire, "You are hanging out with two people who are perpetual rainbows and sunshine kids despite the supernatural shit, another who's had life shit all over him and finally someone who is more sarcastic and protective than you could ever be behind that mask. Do you really think it's going to trick us or be worth the trouble?"

Lydia snorted and shook her head, "You may have a point there."

Stiles turned back to watch the werewolves again, catching Derek's gaze for a moment and winked at the alpha because he could, Sourwolf was not always so sour anymore. Derek flushed a little and turned back to where Allison and Scott were practicing and Stiles smiled thinking that someday—not anytime soon that guy was going to smile. Like a real big-ass smile and Stiles couldn't wait to see it happen and there was a little selfish part of him that hoped he might have something to do with it too.

"You got it bad," Lydia said after another minute and she didn't sound grating or waspish for once, it was more sad like she wished it was something she'd experienced and that was just too real for Stiles 'Sarcasm is my only defense' Stilinski and Lydia 'The Ice Queen' Martin.

"Having second thoughts about being with me Martin?" Stiles joked, giving them both an out. He didn't want to talk about this around Derek; they were still so shiny and mostly confusing like a new cellphone. They didn't have a label or rules or anything right now and he didn't want what they talked about to hurt Derek in any way.

"You're not really the same annoying kid that has been chasing me all these years, I don't know if that's because you decided to stop hiding this part of yourself or what but you are brave and commanding. I mean since when are you the go-to guy for answers about werewolves and stuff? Since when do people like Jackson and Allison and I listen to you?"

Stiles shrugged, "The world is all askew these days but I've always been the guy with the information, it's just that most of the time no one wants to know about the things that I know about. This time, it was my best friend at stake and I found out everything there was to know as quickly as I could. I read everything I could find, searched everything online and I asked Derek as much as he would let me. And why you three have listened to me when I speak, no one can answer that but you."

Lydia nodded thoughtfully then buffed her fingernails against her shoulder, "No Stiles, I just think to myself, I saw the way Scott and Allison would look at each other, and they will again because they are stupid for each other."

"Seriously!" Scott shouted from the lawn and both humans looked over to see that he was laid out on the ground, under Derek and Allison was standing off to the side trying not to laugh though her obnoxiously adorable dimples were peeking out around her hand.

"We can hear you just fine over here!" Scott shouted.

"Then maybe you should learn how to focus here instead of over there," Derek reminded his beta and Scott snarled up at the man. The alpha just shrugged and helped the pouting wolf to his feet to start again. "Its important to remember how to control your senses. Even before you were a werewolf, you would have to learn to block out certain things in your environment to focus on the important parts. School teaches you to do this, listen to your teacher and not your neighbor. Just think if you were in the middle of a fight and you become distracted by some people laughing two blocks over that you can just barely hear. You can't let those things in. Even with heightened senses we are finite creatures, only capable of taking in so much information and still be able to function."

Stiles beamed at his alpha, they were going to be so good together when everyone got past some of these initial hurdles. Derek clearly remembered a lot of the lessons he'd learned in his younger years and he would teach them all.

"And you think I look at him like that?" Stiles asked because he was watching Derek but so far the werewolf was either skilled at not responding or he really was blocking them out. His feelings about Derek weren't a secret even if they were responsible for bringing on a whole new wave of teenaged confusion and if Lydia was talking to him then Stiles was still thrilled enough about being in her orbit to answer even if it never came to anything more than friendly acquaintance.

Lydia leaned forward a little, her scent wafting towards him reminding him of all the times he'd wished to be this close to her. "You're confused, right? Dealing with sexual identity stuff and, so is he? Now with whatever happened when you were missing, it's going to make it all harder right? He has a past and, so do you?"

"Yeah?" he asked, drawing the word out into a question.

"You still look at him like you're stupid in love even though all those other things are true. It doesn't make how you feel about him any less true. I don't have a chance in hell, if I did regret not taking the opportunity. What you built with him in the past months since he came back, it's more than we've had in our whole lives."

Stiles stared at her his mouth gaping like a fish, "How are you this wise? Why do you care?"

"Don't know if I do care but you did me a favor, kept me from getting killed in the school that night. You did what you had to do to keep Jackson and Allison safe and protected and you didn't owe Jackson anything and I understand there is some past between the Argents and the Hales and that didn't stop you from helping my best friend. It's a debt I can't repay in kind but I can give you this. But it's a limited offer, and don't expect it all the time."

"What?" Stiles asked with an exasperated chuckle.

"Don't let him go, you have the capacity to do great things together so make sure you stay—together."

Stiles looked at Derek again, thought about all the times the werewolf had been abandoned through death and tragedy and thought about the promise he'd made to himself all those months ago that he didn't want the werewolf to be left again. It didn't really matter if they kiss, though he wanted to, or had sex; though he really really wanted to because being a seventeen-year-old virgin sucked. All that mattered was they stuck together and he couldn't imagine something making him leave Derek's side now that he had him.

Stiles was even okay with the completely confusing lack of label for them right now…mostly… He just wanted Derek in his life. "Yeah, I'm not going anywhere and I am not going to let him either."

He watched as Derek's lips lifted in a little smile though he never took his eyes off of the two nascent wolves in front of him, Stiles was more than thrilled to know that his desire to stick around was a source of happy for the alpha. Maybe it was just as comforting to Derek as it was to Stiles.

The pink bubble of happy he was in was squashed seconds later when his cell phone buzzed and he threw himself out of the chair trying to drag the damn thing out of his pocket and away from his skin, the lining of his pocket wasn't enough to remove that buzzing feeling that was too much like when he was chained underground. When didn't move fast enough, Stiles felt the moment when the trigger turned into a flashback and he was there again. Kate was laughing, demanding that he give her what she wanted. He continued to grapple with the device until it was out of the pocket of his tight jeans and shoved it away as he clambered backwards until he was flush with some unknown surface though it wasn't the grate. That knowledge apparently wasn't enough to pull him out of the memory. All he could see were those cold blue/green eyes smiling as she electrocuted him in the way of sick hunters that thought that they were right when they tortured and killed werewolves. Her laugh echoed in his ears, Stiles slammed his hands over his ears and started muttering, "No, don't do this now!" he didn't know who he was talking to—himself or Kate but when a hand gently pressed down on his kneecap he couldn't stop himself from striking out. He expected to find himself bound once more but when his leg was easily held and his hands were stayed from striking whoever was touching him but not chained he thought, grasping at the fuzzy edge of reality.

But wait…

They were touching him, he was safe. She wouldn't shock him if he let her touch him. He turned his head away from where he knew she was leaning in next to him and grabbed the hand and pressed it to his skin low on his stomach just above his penis and the hand jerked away.

"No, don't go. Don't start the machine again, I won't fight it. Do whatever you want to me. Please just don't…" his voice stammered off into nothing as the hand surfaced again, this time holding his hand. Stiles's panting breaths were so loud and his heart pounded in his ears but finally something started to sift through the panic.

"Come on Stiles, you're safe here with me. I won't let her touch you again, I promise."

His mouth moved but nothing came out for multiple tries then he whispered, "Derek?" he tried again but couldn't get his eyes to open. He didn't want to think that it wasn't going to be his sourwolf when he opened them.

"Sorry Sherriff, Stiles is a little out of contact at the moment. Yup," He could hear Scott speaking and his best friend's voice did a lot to calm him down mostly because Scott hadn't been trapped down there and Scott rescuing him hadn't really occurred to Stiles while he was being held by Kate, "No I got it. No I get it."

"Derek?" Stiles husked as he shuddered again, an echo of the weeks ago event of being electrocuted over and over. The hand stayed on his, the thumb rubbing across his knuckles gently.

"I'm here Stiles, open your eyes okay?"

The gentle cadence of Derek's voice finally coaxed Stiles into braving the world again and he looked over and heaved a sigh of relief when Derek's green gaze swam into focus along with his very concerned face along with angry eyebrows. Stiles reached out blindly, wanting to smooth out the frown until Derek grabbed his waving hand in a gentle grip. Stiles looked over and found Lydia and Scott sitting close but not touching Stiles while Allison was leaning back against the rail of the porch. Stiles turned back to refocus on Derek's gaze, the place that was the safest for him since the werewolf had returned to town.

Derek leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Stiles's forehead and he couldn't help when his eyes closed against the sting of tears he felt. He grabbed hold of Derek's jacket and held him as close as he could though he knew that the alpha had all the power he needed to break Stiles's hold if he wanted to. When he just helped to pull Stiles to a sitting position again and settled next to him on the wall so they could be close the teenager sighed in relief. Derek wrapped an arm around Stiles's shoulders while Stiles desperately tried to control the shaking in his limbs After a few moments, he snorted because he was _Stiles_ , "At least we know that I shouldn't have my phone on vibrate."

Derek just shook his head; Stiles could almost _feel_ the eye roll. Then Derek pressed his lips to Stiles's head in a gentle kiss then just continued to hold him close.

"So I hate to be the bearer of awkward news," Scott said with a cough.

"What is it?" Derek asked gently, whether it was for Scott's benefit or Stiles's they would never know though Stiles knew Derek was intimately familiar with the idea of trauma and grief attacking at any moment.

"The Sheriff is on his way, he could hear Stiles through the line and I couldn't stop him. Honestly I am not even brave enough to try after what he was like while you were gone."

Stiles groaned though he understood that there was no stopping the Sheriff when it came to his son. He just curled even closer to Derek then thought about home and Derek being there and guns. Dad always had guns in the house, in the safe but Stiles knew the combination. He would be better protected. "I wanna go home."

"Okay, do you want me to come with you?" he asked, pressing his hand into the back of Stiles's neck. The warm weight of the man's hand did more to calm him than anything ever could. Then he flinched, remembering the moment Derek pulled his hand away when Stiles was flopping around just begging for it, begging the werewolf to touch him inappropriately because Kate made him believe that was the only way to save himself. He flushed at the thought, hating himself for them both.

"Do you want to? After what I did?"

Derek pushed him upright, just enough that he could show off his eyebrows of doom and completely confused/'so done with your ridiculousness' look. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Stiles looked over at Lydia, Scott and Allison who suddenly, as if they could read his embarrassment, found everything else but Derek and Stiles fascinating. Scott walked back into the yard and Allison followed as they started running drills and Lydia walked inside to do whatever. "I mean consent is important to you for a whole host of reasons, damn good reasons, we aren't doing anything sexual and she made me believe that it would stop if I let her touch me sexually. You don't have to stay with me if it's going to make you uncomfortable. We don't even know what we are to each other and she fucked me up enough that I am going to screw this up with you, maybe I already have." His gaze dropped, not able to maintain eye contact as the shame swept over him.

Derek's eyebrows drew together; Stiles noticed when he glanced up for a second. He also noticed the sudden flaring of the werewolf's nostrils and wondered what he was scenting from Stiles. He couldn't ignore all these cues because they were sitting so close and his face was a couple of inches from the alpha's face and everything about Derek was larger than life to begin with. Stiles wanted to smooth away the frown, comfort him but he couldn't.

He looked away again as Derek spoke, "Stiles, you were having a triggered response because of sexual torture from a sick human being. I am not going to blame you for that. I'm here with you, same as you have been there for me in the past couple of months. You are not going to screw this up, we are both confused and in new territory but I am not going to leave you because of what happened."

"It's easy to say that Derek," Stiles muttered and leaned down to press his forehead into the werewolf's broad shoulder and continued, "She found a way to hurt me in a way that hurts you and I can't stand that."

"Are you telling me not to come with you?" Derek asked, his voice small and shaken.

Stiles froze at the thought, his skin breaking out in goosebumps and he gripped Derek's hands and shirt, shaking his head. "No I would never. I want you with me; you help me remember where I am. That I'm safe. I just want you to be safe too."

"Then I am going with you," Derek said, his tone firm and final. "And I have no problem redirecting your hands or my hands so that we are both okay in this. You could never be her."

Stiles nodded, lifting his head to look into Derek's green gaze again and he didn't know what he expected to see but it wasn't the kindness and care he saw there. He pressed forward just a little before he stopped and started pulling back again. Derek's hand stalled his reverse course, slipping around the back of his neck and tugging Stiles closer, enough that he could press a kiss to the teenager's temple, then his forehead and Stiles listened as his heart thump-thumped into a higher gear and he wondered for a second how a kiss to the forehead and the side of his head could have ever felt more magical than their kissing on the dance floor. He didn't understand the warmth that pooled in his belly, not because of Derek's physical closeness but because of the warm intimate sensation of not being alone.

That Derek refused to let him be alone if that's what he needed.

"Thank you," he husked into the side of Derek's arm.

"I'm glad to do it," Derek whispered into his hair as they resettled and Stiles felt as all the tension finally faded off and he was left feeling sore and weak. His legs shook a little, his heart beat still thumping irregularly but slowing a little at a time.

By the time his dad showed up, walking through the house with his uniform boots clomping that recognizable sound, Stiles looked up as the man opened the door and at the sight of his dad's heaving chest and wild eyes, Stiles burst into shocking tears as Derek helped him to his feet and his dad bear-hugged him.

"I'm so sorry dad, I didn't mean to make you leave whatever you were doing for this. That you were worried about me. So sorry!"

His dad sighed and just kept holding Stiles. He pressed a kiss to the side of his son's head and chuckled dryly, "Don't be dumb kid, I am here because you need as much support as we can all give and trust me I don't like the idea of you being without police escort even with the werewolf initiative you got going on here."

Stiles chortled at the name and Derek groaned, though he couldn't tell how much of the werewolf's reaction was for show but Stiles was _totally_ going to call Scott, Derek and the others the 'Werewolf Initiative' from now on. Of course, it only took another two seconds to remember that Kate Argent was still out there and that's one of the main reasons his dad wanted him in protective custody so the laugh died as quickly as it started.

"God, Dad, I don't think I can do this without some extra help. I mean fuck my phone was just on vibrate!"

"Language Stiles," he started with a wince of familial frustration because Stiles had every reason to curse then his dad continued with finality, "Then you won't have to. I have to make some calls but we will figure something out. I don't think your therapist is fast enough to have a dog for you yet but we can figure something else out."

Derek cleared his throat and both Stilinski's turned to look at him, "You might consider a couple of things but in the meantime, Sir if you are willing to work some Sheriff magic and I can go as Stiles's service dog, he wouldn't need to 'train', you could say that I was brought in as a intermediary while his dog is being trained. I can stay with him all the time that way. I just need the little vest and I am guessing as Dr. Marcus, there would be paperwork at the school and everything."

Stiles watched the werewolf carefully to verify his sincerity, "You would do that? Go back to high school with me?"

"If it means you're safe, hell yes! No matter how much teenagers can annoy."

"Hey," Stiles exclaimed as he grinned.

"Let me call Dr. Marcus back and see what she has to say. Now let's get you back to the house, you can take a nap if you need."

Stiles nodded and they all dispersed, with promises of the next meet up. Stiles noticed that Scott and Allison left together and thought Lydia was right, they were stupid for each other. Stiles drove back with his Dad while Derek followed in the Jeep. Stiles stared out the window, his thoughts racing but nothing coming out of his mouth. What was the landscape of his life going to look like if he couldn't turn his phone on vibrate or be alone or anything normal?

"Hey son?" his dad called across the expanse of the sheriff's cruiser and Stiles startled.

He tried to bluster through, laughing and responding, "Scared me dad."

"Kid," he responded, in that 'I'm over your stuff' voice. "If you are this freaked at the idea of going to your friend's house maybe until you are a little better, we need to make some different choices. You can homeschool or there are some other choices out there. You went to school last week but it doesn't mean you have to keep going back. I have already been looking into a couple, to tell you the truth. Are you going to learn anything at all if you're scared all the time? And this is really important; do I need to make this decision for you?"

Stiles thought about home school, away from everyone and there was a moment of relief at the thought of never going back to that place where he was known for what happened to him. People knew just enough to make really awful assumptions and spread rumors not to mention the completely lack of protection he had there.

Then he thought about Scott and Allison and even Jackson being there without someone capable of keeping a level head and helping them to see their way back controlling the wolf. They needed him, Derek couldn't be there to help them and they were his pack too. "Dad, if you make this decision then I am just going to be hiding one way or another. There is no win here."

"Ain't that the goddamned truth," the Sheriff grumbled, "Son, if I could find her and kill her I would. I hope you know that."

Stiles nodded, "I know Dad. I would let you except that you would end up going to prison and starting a civil war with the Hunters. She has to pay for what she's done without destroying the people I care about."

"Including Derek."

"Dad," Stiles exclaimed with a grin and a wink, "Not a question this time, very nice."

He watched his dad shake his head, "Yes now let's get you inside and I am going to call Dr. Marcus again and see what she would recommend. Are you okay with me having that conversation without you?"

Stiles looked out the cruiser's window, surprised to find them parked in the driveway, opening the door as he nodded, "Yeah Dad, I trust you."

"Okay kid."

He turned just as Derek walked up next to him and Stiles let the werewolf lead him gently inside and back upstairs. He helped Stiles out of his sweater and the plaid over shirt, leaving him in a t-shirt and then the teenager unsnapped his jeans and jerked them down and off as he flopped down onto the side of the bed. Derek leaned down and helped drag his pants and shoes the rest of the way off. The teenager flopped back onto the bed to the tune of Derek's chuckle. Then the werewolf gently tucked him straight onto the bed and Stiles turned on his side and listened as Derek moved around. He didn't know what he was doing, besides taking a nap in the middle of Saturday afternoon like an old man or something and he didn't want Derek to leave.

"Hey Derek?" he whispered.

"Yeah Stiles?"

"Can you stay here?"

"Of course, I'm not going anywhere."

"Are you going to really be my service dog if I can't get one sooner?" Stiles asked as Derek sat down on the bed and took off his jacket and settled down on the bed. Stiles tucked himself into Derek's warm side and the werewolf moved his arm under the teen's head. He pressed his nose into Stiles's buzzed hair.

"Of course."

He shifted a little closer, pressing his other hand to Derek's chest and his nose into Derek's shirt and mumbled, "Thanks Prince Wolf."

Derek snorted, "I think I prefer Sourwolf."

"But you're here being my prince charming," Stiles whispered, nuzzling as close as he could. "I'm going to sleep now; panic attacks take it out of me."

Derek nodded against Stiles's head and he felt as the werewolf ran his fingers over the teen's head while his other hand held Stiles's other hand over his heart. Stiles used the steady heart beat and warm breathing to lull him to sleep.


	2. Awkward Conversations

**Chapter Two: Awkward Conversations**

 **Author's Note: Slightly updated.**

Derek waits until Stiles slumped heavily into his side, all the tension of fear seeping out of him. There was a deep-seated part of him, the wolf instinct, that wanted to leave this bedroom and go hunting until he found Kate. He wanted to do all the things to her that his uncle would have done out there on the last full moon. At the time, Derek hadn't been able to fight her as his fear triggered multiple episodes and the only coping mechanism that worked at the time was just shove it down. He'd been terrified of being under her control again, and she was as beautiful as she had been years before but now—watching Stiles writhe on the ground, grabbing Derek's hand and trying to shove it down the teenager's pants so he would be 'safe' from the electrocution and Derek only saw red.

And not because he was an alpha, Stiles was this obnoxiously brilliant and clean spirit and she tried to break him to control Derek and the rest of the wolves in town.

None of this was Stiles's fault.

No matter what the teenager tried to convince himself and no matter what Scott tried to pin on him. This was Peter's fault and even more so it was Kate's fault, and Derek wanted to see them punished. For the first time in his life, he wanted to do the punishing. It was his fault, for Paige and for his family—even Laura because he hadn't wanted to come back and she'd been alone... but he'd never wanted to find justice or have vengeance because he would only be punishing himself and living had been the worst kind of punishment. Now though, this with Stiles.

This—he wanted vengeance, he wanted to claim Pack Protection and protect the young man that he had bonded with over the past three months but that was really only available within the supernatural circles. It wasn't just the hunter families like the Argent's that offered a checks/balances system. He wouldn't be protected from the law in this scenario and then whether he was killed or sent to jail then the betas and Stiles would be alone.

So he would just have to deal with the fact that for now he wasn't going anywhere to kill anyone.

"Derek?" the Sheriff said from downstairs and the werewolf focused on Stiles long enough to check that the teenager was still sleeping deep enough that he felt comfortable leaving him then he slipped out from under Stiles's octopus arm and leg, leaned down to kiss him on the side of the head than headed out of the room. He walked downstairs and found the Sheriff sitting in the kitchen at the table with the house phone in his hand, some notes written down in front of him though they didn't look like they were for a case.

"You called?" he asked, his eyebrow twitching. It's probably a good thing he'd spent so many years taking orders from his mother and father then his sister because even though he was an alpha it seemed he had only taken on petulant betas and bossy Stilinski men. In this instance though he knew he would continue to treat the Sheriff with the utmost respect because of the man's position in town but also because of his protective nature about his only son. Derek knew that what he felt for Stiles superseded anything else; he had an instinct with the teenager to provide for him and protect him. If he wanted to protect and care for Stiles then he was at the mercy of the Sheriff, not something he was excited about but definitely worth the opportunity to stay close to Stiles and make sure the teenager saw the age of eighteen.

"I haven't made the call yet but I am concerned with how dependent he is with you specifically. I am wondering about your motives for always being there."

Derek growled, taking a menacing step forward before he purposefully calmed the ill-timed rage and took two steps back. He didn't know what he was even attempting to fight against, a father's love and care for his underage son? He had no right to be angry about what the man was asking of him.

The Sheriff watched the display of aggression and surrender with interest and Derek didn't sense any anger or fear, which he was glad for even if it was confusing. Was he just the most ridiculous alpha if his human beta and the boy's father were bossing him around and no one was cowed by his aggression? Maybe he should have left Peter with the alpha power, at least his uncle had been terrifying in his alpha form.

"I have known you since you were very young Derek, I caught you necking with your girlfriend in that ridiculous Camaro when you were fifteen. Seriously why did you have that car anyway? But anyway, I am not scared of you because of that _and_ because hurting me would hurt Stiles and seems to me like one of the most important things to you is _not_ hurting him."

Derek stared at the man in shock before it snapped shut and he growled, "I don't like that you can do that, see right through me like that. You're not a werewolf are you?"

The Sheriff chuckled as he shook his head, "I might not have your nose and ears and eyes but I do have years of interrogation and watching people. I may not be around my son as much as I want to be but I am going to watch you for the rest of yours because of your interest in him."

Derek shuffled his feet and flopped down into the chair across from the man, intertwining his fingers together on the tabletop, not looking at any of the paperwork that Stiles consistently was always trying to get eyes on. The man didn't need both of them nosing into business that wasn't theirs. He took a deep breath and stared at the man, "I don't know what's going on here. I never trained to be an alpha that was my sister's role. She was prepared for it and though she never built a pack, she knew how to be a great alpha. I took the power to protect the others from Peter. I don't know why I'm telling you any of this but I understand your interest in me especially because of your son so if you have questions, ask them. If you have concerns, voice them because you're right about one thing: I care more about Stiles's safety than I do about even my own."

"Why?" he asked and Derek snorted.

"Hardest question first huh?" he asked with a shake of his head and the Sheriff leaned back, crossing his arms to wait. Derek stopped and took another deep breath, taking in the comforting scent of Stiles that permeated this house, in some ways his scent was so interwoven with the Sheriff's that Derek even felt that soul deep desire to protect the older man even scent mark him, not that Derek had any intention of doing _that_. He took a moment to wonder if the older man understood how integral he would end up becoming to Derek because of how he felt for the man's son. Then he refocused on the question at hand because he gave his word and Derek may have wanted to put off the answer he couldn't.

So the alpha thought about the feelings that Stiles always seemed to bring up in him, wanting to keep him safe, protected, loved. The last, he knew was the most confusing for both Derek and Stiles but he was willing to take the time to figure it out. He used to be so talkative and now that he was involved with the Stilinski's and the betas, he would really have to try so he was going to start now. "Can I start with a little bit of werewolf background?"

Stilinski waved in ascent, still holding onto the phone. Maybe he didn't know he was still holding it.

"Waiting for a call?" Derek asked, he'd heard the man making calls a little while ago; probably to Dr. Marcus.

"Left a couple of messages but please continue."

Derek nodded and thought back to some of the real life history of his people, "When you are talking about animals, supernatural creatures such as werewolves you have to understand the animal context as well as the human. Wolves bond to each other in packs, so do werewolves, they have strong bonds to pack, to mates and to family. We were taught a surprisingly progressive thought process when it came to genders and love. We want to reproduce and keep the family line strong, that's a real thing but we also don't consider giving birth the only way to carry on the line; there are options out there like turning someone and the family line isn't as distinguishable in a werewolf pack as it is in human families because of the bonds we sense with each other. All of this to say that my mother and father told us from a very young age that attraction is malleable, changeable depending on the bonds that are developed in life. And bonds are on both sides no matter what the other person is, it's a part of the supernatural aspect of the wolf."

"So you would consider yourself to be pretty changeable?" Stilinski asked and he was confused and a little angry, it was there in his scent though Derek didn't understand what he'd said to offend the man now.

"You're getting angry?"

Stilinski took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment, "I am concerned that if you changed your mind once, you could change it again leaving my son in to deep with you and the pack and no where to go especially since you have inserted yourself into his life with Scott and here with me which should be a sanctuary for him even from you."

Derek stared at him in shock, a growl trying to rise and his eyes starting to flash in anger. He took a deep breath and swallowed it back reminding himself who this was and how important he is. "I know that this is hard to understand, when I was younger I was with Paige. She was my first everything and I loved her, I held desire for her but it was easy – much like when I looked at my parents: a man and a woman… We had built a preliminary attraction and closeness but it didn't damage me like the fire did when I lost my family members or like it did when Stiles went missing. I am not saying that my relationship with her wasn't important; it was young and full of hormones. And the guilt I felt made it one hundred times worse. This is a very difficult thing to explain to someone who isn't a werewolf," he growled, frustration leaking out all over the place. The scent of it in his nose was acrid and he shook his head and concentrated on the man in front of him.

"Try again," the Sheriff asked gently, leaning forward and folding his arms in front of him, "Please?"

"In my experience, my very recent experience since I haven't really had a romantic anything with anyone since Ka—since the last time." The Sheriff noticed the slip but Derek continued before the man could latch onto it, "The bond I am building with Stiles through proximity, pain and comfort shared and a lot of laughter, my sensual and sexual desires are chasing the bond, _this bond with him in particular_. This isn't something I do or say or feel about anyone else in my world, just him. And it is still new and barely more than desire. I want to be close to him, kiss him and hug him tight. I would do anything to keep him safe, I would tell him no if that was the best thing for him or me. I fear the loss of him whether it would come from a source of outside attack or if you were to determine that I shouldn't be around him. If it came down to it and he needed me out of his life, I would go but I believe I would leave behind a large chunk of my soul, that part which is tethered to the bond we share and it will only grow with time as it is supported and nurtured between us."

The Sheriff tilted his head in consideration while Derek took a couple of deep settling breaths, that was more feelings talk than he'd said to anyone in a long time and he didn't want to say much more to someone who wasn't Stiles.

"It was because of what he did for you?" the man asked.

Derek shrugged, "I think that would be the easy answer, Stiles refused to give up on me and then to protect me he backed off when he felt he would hurt me with his presence. He showed me respect and allowed my right to consent a relationship or friendship because he was willing to put aside his own desire to protect my right to refuse. He knew that my sense of smell could make him uncomfortable to be around because he would be feeling arousal and that's not something I have dealt with or been around in a long time but it didn't stop there and thankfully Scott kicked my ass about abandoning someone who was my pack-mate. He knew I could be the alpha. So what he did for me was the doorway into knowing the person that Stiles is, that unbreakable unbelievably generous soul inside, that's who I care about more than I can possibly explain. The body that carries him matters and I notice things about it that would be stupid for me to mention because of the age difference and you're his father but not as much as the soul inside. I know that's hokey and I kind of feel stupid saying it," Derek stopped when the man waved him off, exhaling gratefully for a short break.

"Not hokey, that's called love I think. I still feel it for Claudia even after all these years."

Derek nodded and wondered when he had come to the conclusion that being in love with a male seventeen year old mouthy spaz had become okay in his head and heart. It sure hadn't kicked up as much of a fuss as he assumed it would. Then again, their relationship hadn't touched any area where Kate's damage undoubtedly still resided, so sometime down the line the physicality of love would make this relationship difficult but it would have been difficult with anyone.

"And if I told you to leave? Until he was eighteen, would you? To let him be independent of you."

Derek closed his eyes as he tucked his chin, took a deep breath because the man seemed determined to bring out the beast in him. He shoved the chair away from the table and stood to walk into the doorway and brace himself there for a couple of minutes, thinking about it. Being separated for Stiles, even for a short time would hurt and could cause problems because the teenager was Derek's anchor. And even if it was in Stiles's best interest it would still break everything inside him and undoubtedly he would just turn into a sneaking stalker but for the sake of something later—he could do anything in the short term.

Then he opened his mouth and _that_ didn't come out, "When you knew what you felt for Stiles's mom, would you have done it?" he groaned as he waited for the man to kick him out but he didn't.

Instead, the older man settled back in his chair, "Fair point. I don't think I could kick you out at this point without doing serious harm to my son but I am concerned about the codependence you have with each other and I am more than a little concerned that you have offered a solution that puts you in close proximity with him for every minute of the day."

Derek snarled a little, "You think I wish to control him?" He really couldn't help it that time, after the manipulation and control he'd endured with Kate the idea of it turned his stomach and twisted his heart painfully. "You understand nothing!" he snarled as he took another step backwards, knowing that he was only going to get angrier if this conversation continued in this vein.

Then, much like his son had done in the past more than once, the Sheriff stood and held his hands out in peace and the wafting scent of Stilinski helped to calm the alpha unlike anything else could, "Maybe your right. I don't understand, but I do worry. He is very young and I don't think I can let you become his everything. Stiles has to be able to stand on his own two feet otherwise he will never decide to be something he wants to be, instead he will only concern himself with what you can be together. He wants to go to college, maybe become a detective or at least a cop. Is he going to do that if you pull him away from the future he's always wanted to have?"

Derek scrubbed his fingers through his hair, making it stand on end, "I would never stop him from being everything he wants to be. It's not about that! It's the bond! It will settle but right now everything is intense and in color, feeling everything more intensely which leads to the desire to solidify it between us. It's like what humans refer to as the honeymoon stage, but it's heightened because of the wolf and the supernatural aspect. I will do what I must to make sure that he is always his own person because I want to see the kind of man he will become, not the kind of man I could ask him to be because I feel he is meant for so much more than I am capable of imagining."

"Is that the bond talking?" the sheriff asked with a snort though the smile on his face was genuine and the pride in his scent was easy to distinguish and Derek was sure it was about his son, the young man that Derek could see and be proud of as well.

Derek shrugged, "It's who he is," he shoved his hands into his pants pockets and wished he hadn't left his leather jacket upstairs, in these kinds of situations the article of clothing had always felt like a comforting weight like the memory of all the times when his siblings would sleep in a puppy pile on the floor at the foot of their parent's bed. And though the article of clothing had long since lost the scent of his father who once owned the jacket, there was always the message sewn on the inside of the pocket that he could run his fingers over.

"Good answer, I am going to insist on a different solution when it comes to school. I don't know what yet but I think you both need to consider time on your own, you are still getting over a great loss and maybe Stiles helped you to realize you want something other than guilt and loneliness in your life but you are going to have to figure it out on your own and when there is time then you can be together but I think you were meant for more than this too. Do you really want to just be the weird guy who wanders around town, growling at people and hanging around teenagers? Not to mention; Stiles needs to know how to survive without you—for school and so on, you can't always be together."

Derek didn't like it, his wolf was itching to rip the man's plan to shred and maybe gnaw on something for a little while but he also had no room to argue, "Understood."

"I will not bar you from him, I know how painful that would be for everyone since I was listening to my son this morning but no sex until he's eighteen, even longer if I had my way but I probably don't."

Derek flushed, he hadn't thought about sex with anyone in a long time, hadn't even really touched himself almost as long and this conversation was awkward enough without discussing sex with his 'boyfriend's' dad. "Understood."

"And if and when it comes time, I need you to promise me that he will know what he needs to know."

"Oh my god!" Derek exclaimed, his face getting hot and he had no doubt that he was flushing under the discomfort of the conversation and he didn't know what was worse, continuing or telling the man why Stiles wasn't the only one waiting. And that it had very little to do with the teen's age, "As Stiles told you when he was in the hospital, he isn't the only one that Kate hurt with her actions. It wasn't like it was with him, she seduced me and I wanted the attention especially because of Paige. Then everything turned upside down. She didn't just burn my family home with my parents and everyone inside, she used sex and emotional torture to get the information to do just that. I haven't had sex since. And I have never had sex with a man, I don't know anything and I don't know when I would be ready maybe it wouldn't even matter because Stiles will heal from this and maybe we won't even last or maybe I will take too long or whatever but maybe someday if we are both ready then we will read all the books and I would make sure that he was safe with me."

The Sheriff stared at him, his mouth open in shock and disgust and Derek slumped against the wall wondering what part of what he just said was so disgusting. He didn't know if he wanted to stick around to find out.

"Does Stiles know all this?" the Sheriff finally choked out.

"Most of it, though not as direct. He's smart enough to fill in the blanks. We haven't done more than hug and kiss a couple of times and we don't have a label for this. If and when this conversation becomes important, we will have it."

Stilinski nodded and they settled, the Sheriff leaning down on the table and Derek slumped against the doorway with his hands on his knees. The silence dragged on for a moment and Derek used the opportunity to focus on the sound of Stiles breathing upstairs and wondered how the hell he went from an apartment in New York with his sister to being involved with an underage infuriating genius and his overprotective Sheriff father. And then he smiled thinking, _'oh yeah, because I couldn't say no to Stiles'._

The phone rang and both men jumped, Derek hissed because he'd been focusing his hearing at that exact moment and he worked to dull out the senses while the Sheriff chuckled at his own jumpiness and possibly Derek's discomfort and answered the phone, "Stilinski."

Derek could hear the answer on the other end, _'Good afternoon Sheriff, I didn't think I would be hearing from you so soon but I guess I should have after meeting with your son this morning.'_ It was Dr. Marcus, calling back about Stiles's need for a service dog, Derek faltered a little thinking he should go and at least pretend to give the man some privacy but he wanted to know if Stiles was going to be able to get back to some idea of normal because the teenager wanted that more than anything.

"He had another panic attack, because his cellphone was on vibrate in his pocket. He's jumping at everything and he doesn't know how to get through a couple of hours on his own let alone the rest of his day. I don't understand how he dealt with school and the dance so well last week and now this?"

 _'_ _That's pretty normal, the session undoubtedly brought it all back to the surface and I get the feeling that Stiles's coping mechanism is to hide. It's not going to keep working.'_

The Sheriff nodded though she couldn't actually see him, "Is there any way you might have a miracle up your sleeve for this? For him?"

Derek held his breath as the woman on the other end paused and he forced himself not to shout at her to answer now. He shouldn't be listening in on the man's conversation anyway. He turned to walk back upstairs but the Sheriff called out, "Wait Derek!"

 _'_ _Oh good, he's there with you then,'_ the woman said sounding far to pleased to be a starch well-trained counselor, someone who knows the inner workings of the supernatural world. _'So this is a good news/slightly less good news kind of scenario. I won't hold back because I am guessing that your son didn't get his impatience from his mother but we have several dogs for Stiles to pick from, depending on who works well with the pack and Derek in particular will determine the kind of time constraint on training. We could get them into your home tomorrow but Stiles would have to meet up with the dog trainers for a while, maybe even miss school to get up to speed. It would probably be better if he scheduled some self defense training as well.'_

Derek figured that was all good news, Stiles would be able to work towards independence, he wouldn't have to get dragged out of school forever which Derek knew he wouldn't be able to live with because he cared to much about the others and wouldn't want to disrupt his father's routine and job.

"So was that it? Do we need to meet you somewhere tomorrow to interview the dogs?" the Sheriff asked.

 _'_ _The slightly less good news was the training piece but also you are going to have to get a rush on the school paperwork otherwise Stiles won't be allowed to keep the dog on school grounds with him. You are going to have your work cut out for you today and tomorrow.'_

"So be it," the Sheriff stated easily and the woman gave him an address that sounded like it was one town over so it wouldn't be that far. And then Stilinski was about to hang up when the counselor stopped him though Derek didn't actually hear why he stopped. Stilinski turned and held the cordless phone out to Derek who took it and tucked the receiver next to his face.

"What?" he gritted out.

"It's your turn tomorrow and Monday. I would like to get started on some intensive work with you while Stiles is getting acquainted with his dog then again while he's in school. We can even meet close to the school to start with if that will help you with the distance."

Derek glared at the phone and waited while he ignored the slight snort coming from the other side of the room because apparently his brooding was amusing to all the Stilinski men. Though the counselor didn't seem to be backing down either.

"It's not going to work, the brooding silence thing. This is too important to both of you; you _need_ to get some help. Don't skimp on your own recovery like you have been doing since you trauma occurred."

"Wasn't skimping," he growled because it wasn't a lie.

"Ignoring completely," she said definitively and he didn't say anything back because _that_ was true and he didn't think he could choke out the lie in the presence of her steely resolve to help him. "I will see you with the Stilinski's at the appointed time tomorrow and you and I are going to give Stiles a chance to be alone and we are going to give you a chance to find a safe place with me."

"I thought you worked with humans affected by the supernatural, wasn't that your whole shtick?" Derek asked, not knowing why he'd been so willing earlier today and now was fighting tooth and nail, maybe the Sheriff had a point. Stiles had quickly become overly important to Derek, he'd decided to live again because the teenager wanted it for him so maybe he'd said yes because that's what Stiles wanted. But did he want it too?

Wasn't it to dangerous for him to heal and live again? Wouldn't it just get someone else killed?

"You were affected by the supernatural and just because you were born into it doesn't lessen the hurt and the struggle. You were harmed and betrayed by family, you were traumatized but someone you thought you could trust and you believed she loved you. Don't let the little things get in the way of coming to me and trusting that I might have a better way. I read the Sheriff's police report because I have a release of information for the case against Argent and your uncle with Stilinski that included your statement and the recording. Give me six sessions and if it doesn't help at all then we find another way?"

He thought about it for a minute then decided that without this he would never move on and that's something he promised Stiles he would try do for himself and he vowed to support Stiles in his journey as well. He couldn't back out now, no matter how hard it was going to be. And maybe he would want it for himself at the end of those six sessions and continue.

"Okay," he whispered and kind of hoped that she wouldn't hear but she did and replied.

"Great, see you tomorrow." She was obnoxiously cheerful, "Get some rest Derek, you are going to be in for a long road here."

He handed the phone back to the Sheriff and walked away while the man spoke, "So time?"

Derek ran back upstairs, focusing on Stiles's breathing instead of the conversation continuing downstairs. Walking back into the teen's room, he closed the door and moved to sit at the desk instead of on the bed. Pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead, Derek took a deep breath and wondered about everything the Sheriff had said, and what he would be asked to do by Dr. Marcus and suddenly he just saw himself running off into the night like they had done for so many years. Laura and he would move from place to place, never staying for too long until they disappeared into the noise of New York. They'd been there for quite a while longer, enough to lull into a false sense of security because werewolves didn't move to the city and even though Laura was an alpha, she wasn't turning people and growing a pack so everyone left them alone.

And now here he was back in the thick of everything that killed his family; hunters, stupid romances that were going to get everyone killed and now to top it all off he had a pack of betas. He had people who were going to learn to look to him for support, and he didn't think he was really the right person for this. Not if he didn't have Stiles to help balance him, to give him the light; the spark of whatever it was he was missing.

He should go.

He should run and not come back but he couldn't.

Derek couldn't because he cared.

 _Fuck!_

Derek Hale _fucking_ cared!

He had never stopped caring, despite the lies he told himself over the years. He cared about Paige, he loved and cared for his family. He believed beyond a shadow that Kate cared about him and look what that brought to him. He missed his older sister; his alpha and she now lay in a drawer in the morgue. He cares about Stiles and look what had already happened to the teenager.

"Derek," Stiles whispered and the werewolf focused on the bed. Stiles was still sleeping but was disrupted by something, he was calling out for the alpha and Derek couldn't stop himself from rushing to the side of the bed and pressing a hand into Stiles's forehead.

"I'm here Stiles, you can rest, trust me." He waited as the teenager resettled and Derek siphoned a little of the remaining ache from healing and Stiles slumped the rest of the way into the bed again.

 _'_ _Trust me'_ he declared and wanted from the teen. That was the crux for him, Derek thought. He would do anything to be a trustworthy soul to someone again; Stiles trusted that he would be there when the teen woke up so Derek would be. He just hoped to something powerful enough that he could break the cycle that he'd been trapped in since a young girl died at the base of a big tree underground. And it wouldn't get the spastic teenager killed.

Stiles struggled back to consciousness, wondering how many days he'd been asleep to feel so heavy, he shifted and caught sight of Derek sitting in his computer chair next to the bed and smiled, "What're you doing over there?" he whispered, his voice rough and languid with sleep.

Derek looked up from a book that he was reading and smirked, tilting his chin down after a second like he was hiding his pleasure; it's a Derek thing, Stiles thought. A Derek Thing he had every intention of changing someday. He couldn't do anything about what made him like that but maybe he could help let the werewolf know that it was safe to feel happiness or any gamut of the positive emotional range.

"Time issit?" he mumbled as he scrubbed his face and stretched.

"About 6:00, I think your dad is getting some food ordered for dinner, sounded like pizza from the phone call."

Stiles rolled his eyes, "Yeah because he wants pizza, it's not for me. Next time he's not getting some greasy heart-attack inducing pizza. Salad for him, I say," He chuckled because he was going to enjoy the pizza but he was going to have to up his game when it came to feeding his dad, the man was not going to die on his watch especially for something as stupid as a cholesterol issue when Stiles was around to help him. "So, it's still Saturday then?"

The werewolf nodded and frowned for a moment before he spoke, "You do know that your father is the adult in this relationship right?" Derek asked, genuinely confused.

Stiles glared at the alpha, "Don't start with me Mr. LogicWolf. I am not going to let him get sick on my watch; he already has a high stress job, especially because it's an elected position and I know that the success rate of the department has taken a nose dive since werewolves came back to town. I am not going to lose him too!" he snapped out before he could pull back on the fear.

So maybe he had issues, Stiles thought with a shake of his shoulder, lots and lots of them. But dammit he had a right to them! Stiles could feel his heart rate climb as he fretted, shifting around on the bed as he continued the train of thought that all this was leading to. With the turning of Scott and Derek's presence in his life, it was going to even harder to keep the nosy man safe because Stiles's dad would undoubtedly want and demand to be a part of every supernatural problem from now on. Stiles had a hard enough time keeping himself out of the hospital; he couldn't imagine adding his dad to the mix.

"Stiles," Derek growled and the teenager's gaze snapped back over to his alpha.

"What?" he growled back. Derek's eyebrows rose in surprise and just enough domineering authority that Stiles considered his actions of biting off his alpha's head. He took a deep breath and spoke, "Sorry."

He sighed and continued, his voice much softer and smaller, "I can't keep him safe can I? Worrying about what he eats is stupid enough without thinking I can keep him away from the supernatural baddies in town. Especially since they already have a hankering for my pain."

Derek scoffed, "You love him, this is one way to show him that."

"A way that he ignores and hates," Stiles moped, crossing his arms petulantly.

"Knock off the pout and let's go down and let him get a nice dose of your annoying protectiveness about his eating habits," Derek said, brooking no argument as he dropped the book on the desk and walked over to drag Stiles off the bed. The teenager slumped over to become dead weight in his alpha's arms but it didn't stop Derek from lifting him out of the bed, bridal style and walk him towards the door.

"Okay. Okay put me down! You are not taking me downstairs like that," Stiles yelped as he struggled out of Derek's arms and Stiles's feet landed on the floor again as the werewolf grinned while Stiles punched his shoulder. His incredibly muscled shoulder, Stiles thought as his fist flattened out into a hand over his alpha's shoulder.

"No distracted touching, let's go," Derek reminded and Stiles shook loose the thoughts of the physical presence of his 'boyfriend'? Who knew what they were but Derek hadn't pulled away from the little distracted touching and that was nice.

He nodded and they walked downstairs together to find his dad coming back with the boxes of pizza and dropping them on the dining table before grabbing plates.

Stiles glared at him the whole way.

"Dad, I could have made you something to eat, pizza isn't good for you. Let me make you a sandwich and some salad. Derek and I will surely enjoy the pizza you got."

"Stiles, knock it off," his dad said as he thumped the plates on the table next to the boxes.

"Come on Dad!" Stiles exclaimed and he walked towards the kitchen but the sheriff just knocked harshly on the table and the teenager stopped.

"Sit down and eat some pizza Stiles, we have some things to talk about for tomorrow and I have to go to work in about an hour."

"We're going to talk for an hour?" Stiles groaned the question as he flopped down at the table and started serving himself some pizza from both boxes, cheese and a meat lovers pizza; the standard Stilinski order though they hadn't ordered it in a long time. Stiles grinned as he took a slice of each and squished them together like two parts to a sandwich while Derek stared at him in open-mouthed shock.

Stiles took a giant bite and started chewing, "What?" he mumbled around his mouthful of pizza, barely chewing before he took another bite.

"Stiles, come on kiddo its not like you're five anymore. Don't you want to look attractive to your 'boyfriend' or whatever Derek is to you?" the sheriff asked as he waved his hand out in Derek's general direction and Stiles's gaze snapped over to his dad in shock then skidded back to werewolf's bright green eyes.

"What?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Sticking your face full of pizza isn't very polite when we have a guest here for dinner," his dad said clearly attempting to redirect the conversation and hoping that they wouldn't notice. Honestly Stiles was more than okay with ignoring that for now though he chewed and swallowed the food in his mouth. It went down hard and he coughed a little.

Then he went for good old fashion humor, "Derek was raised by wolves, and he doesn't care." Though Stiles took a moment to realize that Derek, the weirdo, was actually cutting the pizza up and eating a bite at a time. "What the heck are you doing? That's not how you eat pizza!"

Derek finished the bite while Stiles took another big bite of his sandwich and chewed loudly while his dad and Derek both stared at him with matching fond annoyed expressions on their faces.

"Apparently despite my being raised by wolves, I have turned out to be more polite than you are," Derek sniped and Stiles glared at him.

He turned and focused on his dad, petulantly ignoring his alpha, "So what's the plan for tomorrow?"

"We need to leave around ten, I am going to be home around three so I will be getting a couple hours of good rest before we have to go. We are meeting Dr. Marcus at one of her offices; apparently she and a couple of other supernatural counselors time-share certain locations in the state because they go to the patient most of the time. Whatever. You are going to meet a couple of service animals and see if there is one that you can work with and won't have a problem with Derek and the others. Then while Derek is in session with Dr. Marcus," Derek snorted at that, like he was annoyed or something. Stiles would get it out of him later as his dad continued. "And you are going to start learning the commands and what you need to know about your dog. I know you are probably going to hit research mode about this but you need to listen to the trainers because this is a live creature that you are going to be caring for just as much as he/she cares and protects you."

Stiles nodded, thinking about all the sites he'd been itching to look at for this but had been busy with panic attacks and the like. He hadn't even really had time to do some research into PTSD and triggers, though he wanted to. Maybe the more information he had, the better his chances were of beating this thing.

"We can stop somewhere for lunch or pack something, up to you but we'll be coming back as early as we can since we are going to have to get all the paperwork filed and prepared to take in with you to school now. I know that you had been going to school but it seems like this truly is getting worse so I want you to have the education you want and this is the best scenario right now."

Stiles nodded again and looked at Derek who had gently placed his fork and knife on the table, having finished his pizza slices. Stiles put his down, not feeling hungry anymore because the reason they were rushing this suddenly clicked for him. "You don't want Derek to be with me at school, do you?"

His dad didn't even flinch, "No. I want you to be a teenager Stiles."

"A teenager who is the reason a woman is going to jail, a teenager who needs a dog or his father and friends to keep him from freaking out every time someone closes a locker or my goddamned cell phone vibrates. That teenager? I'm not a teenager anymore, not a normal one! So stop trying to make me into one!" he snapped and shoved away from the table to pace in the doorway, unknowingly where Derek had a couple hours earlier.

"Stiles," his dad said gently though there was a thin outline of steel, telling Stiles that he could gripe all he wanted, this wasn't going to change the Sheriff's mind. Stiles sighed and looked at Derek again, his hands shaking visibly so he shoved them in his jean pockets. "Maybe you can't be a normal teenager anymore but you can learn how to be self sufficient. Adulthood is only two years away and you need to continue living your life whether you and Derek are together, whether or not you are in a pack, even if you and Scott don't end up at the same college sometime. All of these are possibilities and I need to know as a parent I am going to make decisions that best support your life, not your feelings at the moment."

Stiles stared at him slack-jawed, hating his father a little bit because he'd just verbalized every fear he had for the future and used them to prove his point. He snapped his mouth shut after a moment. "Well I am going to take my momentary feelings upstairs and I will see you in the morning. Good night."

"Stiles!" the sheriff snapped, standing away from the table.

"Good night dad!" Stiles reiterated, feeling the panic rise in his chest as he turned away.

He heard when Derek pushed away from the table and the Sheriff just growled, "Sit down!"

"Sir, no offense but you can't hear his heart," Derek said and Stiles was surprised he could still hear past the roaring in his ears. He didn't want to be alone, he couldn't be alone. She would find him; Stiles's mind latched onto the thought and spun him around leaving him without bearings or balance. It left him feeling dizzy as he stumbled into his bedroom and slamming the door, locking it behind him as he started gasping for breath.

"Just a panic attack," he muttered, trying to bring himself back but he kept flashing to the cage where she held him against the bars and shocked him over and over. "She's not here."

 _Says you sweetie_.

Stiles heard the words and he snapped up and looked around the room, expecting to see her laughing cruelty sitting on his bed or at his desk only to see nothing.

"No, its not real," he wheezed, "This is just a trauma response." He had read a little bit about that, he could have flashbacks to what happened not that he was surprised after it happened that afternoon.

Someone knocked, pounded, on the door.

"Go away!" Stiles whispered though he didn't know whom he was telling.

 _If I'm not touching you then you are going to feel pain,_ Kate whispered right next to Stiles's ear and he screamed, gripping the sides of his head as the rhythmic vibration of the electricity thrumming on his skin echoed into the teen's mind and he reached up to fumble with the lock and jerk open the door. Derek fell into the room, not expecting it to open so quickly against the weight he'd been bearing into it. Stiles grabbed any available appendage and the werewolf fell to the ground with a groan and before he could stop to think of anything rationally, Stiles grabbed those big hands and shoved them under his shirt and sighed. The electric echo slid away and he sighed, his heart rate came down like he'd taken a handful of pills and his mind blinked out of focus on the rolling wave of adrenaline wipe out. Leaning out and pressing blindly into the skin of Derek's stubble ridden cheek, Stiles pressed his mouth into the lips underneath his for a moment. Surprised to find them still and chilled so he pulled back enough to grapple with those hands again and press them back into the skin above his butt and tried to force them everywhere.

"Stiles! Stop it!"

"No, I'll be killed if I don't play along," Stiles whispered, "I'll be good, please just stop! The electricity!"

"Stiles!" Derek snapped and it was enough to realize it wasn't the phantom voice of his abuser, but his alpha. Stiles released Derek's hands though they had never gone anywhere Derek wasn't comfortable with, staying on Stiles's back instead of down his pants. Stiles still shoved Derek's hands away and pushed up and away from the werewolf as the cold dread washed over him.

"Derek, I'm so sorry!" he whispered even as he scooted across the floor and hitched up against the edge of the bed and he looked around the room. Derek was still sitting next to the door, just staring at him.

"It's not always going to be like this Stiles but you need help. You need to keep working through this with Dr. Marcus. It's the best way for us to make a relationship that won't be threatened by what happened."

Stiles heard the words and they even made sense in the teen's head but all he could do was nod, they were going to get him a dog tomorrow and Derek wouldn't feel like he always had to be with him.

"Are you going to leave when I don't need you anymore? Because of this?" he whispered miserably.

"God Stiles, no! I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Remember how you convinced me to stay and now I have a pack here. I'm not going anywhere and you haven't done anything to make me leave you."

Stiles nodded and turned away from Derek for a minute, considering that tonight he needed something else, "Can you call Scott and have him come stay with me please? You can take the couch or the guest room."

Derek sighed, a sad sound that Stiles had to ignore for both their sakes. The werewolf was already on his cellphone by the time Stiles got sick of the silence and peaked around to see the alpha got his answer and nodded. "He's coming. Do you want me to stay until he gets here?"

Stiles nodded and motioned for the computer table, everything was so messy and he didn't think this whole boyfriend thing was helping either one of them, not with Kate's destruction and damage looming over them both.

Derek said nothing and Stiles turned and quickly changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed while Derek let the Sheriff know that Scott was going to come over and Derek would be sleeping in one of the other rooms. Stiles didn't hear anything else nor did he care about anything his dad said right now.

He slipped into his bed and listened for when Scott climbed in through the window, shared a greeting with Derek before he climbed straight into the full size bed and Stiles curled into his best friend's side without even waiting for an invitation. Ever since the hospital, Scott had learned to accept the physical closeness he needed with Allison but also with Stiles sometimes and the human needed it now.

Scott lay out on his side, head tucked into one of the pillows while Stiles's forehead pressed into his chest and his knees pushed into Scott's legs. Those were the only two points of bodily connection for a few minutes then when Stiles sniffled the first time, thinking of how fucked he truly was; Scott's hand glided up to press into the back of Stiles's neck as if he could protect his friend from another attack that way.

"It's going to be okay Stiles, you're not alone."

Stiles nodded and let the warmth of pack and the familiar scent of Scott lull him off to sleep, knowing that tomorrow was going to be a tough day for everyone.

He wasn't as far gone as they thought when Derek spoke again, from the door. "He's going to get a dog tomorrow."

Scott whispered back, his chin pressed gently into Stiles's head, "Good. He needs to learn how to stand on his own again. And he needs to Derek, more than he needs to be with you."

"No scorn this time, maybe we're getting somewhere," Derek said and Stiles floated on the happiness a shared snort of laughter between the two caused in him then Derek spoke, his voice fading as he walked away. "And I agree with you by the way, that he needs to stand more than he needs me but remember that we're here for him too."

Stiles was swept away in the knowledge that apparently he was not alone and they wouldn't leave him no matter what.


	3. Constant Companions

**Chapter Three: Constant Companions**

 **Author's note: Slightly updated, nothing big. I am going to be updating a bunch of chapters. Sorry about the delay on this story.**

Derek listened as the Sheriff woke up and started on breakfast, Stiles was still asleep and Scott was starting to stir. The alpha shifted on the bed and wondered how two days of sleeping in the same bed as Stiles was enough to miss it now. Though the thought inevitable led to thinking about the completely triggered way that Stiles jumped on top of him and tried to stick Derek's hand down his pants. He hadn't smelled like arousal at all and though Derek liked the idea of kissing Stiles, it hadn't been good at all. He was hoping that through working with Dr. Marcus and having this PTSD companion dog, maybe Stiles would get back to being the sarcastic brave idiot that he'd been when Derek first came back to town and forced himself into the werewolf's life.

Derek was determined to be here until it happened and long after. Sighing, realizing that sleep wasn't going to happen and Stiles was going to need the bathroom as soon as he got up, the werewolf walked down the hall and closed himself in the bathroom long enough to shower and get ready for the day before he reached for the door and paused knowing that the teenager was standing on the other side. His heartbeat was rabbiting in anxiety and Derek hated it.

Taking a deep breath, hoping his face wouldn't show how little he'd slept the night before he pulled open the door and found Stiles standing there with a hand outstretched to knock. He smiled shyly; staring at Derek's grey Henley and didn't look up any farther, "Good morning."

"Morning Stiles, it sounds like your dad is getting something started in the kitchen. I'll see you down there." He didn't want to put any pressure after what had happened the night before but he had to force his hand to stay down and away from Stiles's neck. To give it a comforting rub and try to soothe him an instinctual desire.

"Sure," Stiles said and he slid past the alpha who looked around behind his pack member for his other trailing absent puppy.

"Did Scott go home already?" Derek asked as he shifted to walk towards the staircase.

"Yeah, few minutes ago, he had to go take a shift with Deaton this morning and probably get yelled at by his mom for coming out last night."

Derek nodded though he felt the need to correct the misgiving that Stiles had about getting his best friend in trouble, "He asked his mom, she knew where he was." Just as suddenly as the shame and sadness entered Stiles's scent at the thought of his brother being in trouble, it started to ease with Derek's assurance and the werewolf preened that he could give Stiles something of a comfort before he passed Stiles and headed downstairs. It only took a few seconds before Stiles started the shower and turned the knob as hot as it would go, the werewolf's attuned senses listening as he stepped in and the water ricocheted off of Stiles's body and he jerked his attention away because he didn't need to walk downstairs thinking about Stiles naked in the shower and then converse with the teen's father.

Walking into the kitchen he found the sheriff making eggs and toast with sausage. Derek's stomach churned a little at the smell of burning meat, taking him back to the day in a burning house with the screams of his family dying out and the smell of burning skin and fat overpowering the smell of burning wood until Derek's nose completely gave out under the onslaught of scents. He shook off the past and rolled his shoulders a bit and grumbled a quick, "Good morning."

"Scott go out the window already?" the man asked as he finished up at the stove and turned off the burner.

"Yeah apparently," Derek responded. "Did you always know?"

"The window thing?" the sheriff asked.

"Yeah," Derek asked as he took a mug of coffee and prepared it for Stiles just the way he liked it, and then set it aside to let it cool because he'd discovered that Stiles really liked lukewarm coffee, not hot or iced coffee but lukewarm. He knew that Stiles was winding down in the shower upstairs, toweling off from the sounds of it so he would get to it when the temperature was ideal. He grabbed another mug and left it black and blew on it, appreciating the slight hazelnut scent to it, sipping when it cooled a bit.

"I am aware of it now so I am listening for it, I also know that he was here because you did your part and told me where you spent the night and what happened. Thank you. And I can't lie about the fact that up until Stiles told me about all this and he got hurt, I spent more than was healthy amount of time away from home and hoping that Stiles wouldn't get in to deep. Of course going into the woods to look for a dead body means that I was just kidding myself."

Derek sighed not liking the shame attached to the last part of that but after the previous night's conversation and how they were starting this morning he needed to say something, "I won't do anything to hurt him and I understand your reticence but I need you to do me a favor."

The sheriff turned and leaned against the counter, raising a brow in question looking all father like and Derek's gut twisted missing his dad all of a sudden.

"I need you to stop treating me like I am going to hurt your son at the first available opportunity or that treating him like a human being with value is a strange occurrence. It will only tear at him and me though honestly I am used to people thinking nothing of me but him, he's smart enough to know you don't trust me and also that you don't trust him. He's been traumatized and he needs to know that he is still your son and still someone capable of making decisions for himself. Last night to protect me yet again, he sent me away and because I care for him, I went so until there is such a time that I deserve your scorn and a gun in my face; would you at least consider treating me with some consideration."

The man paused, his mouth opening then closing before he started, "And you're asking for his sake again?"

Derek heaved a sigh and a negligent shrug because right now, he didn't think he deserved anything more than this man's scorn and distrust but it was hurting Stiles and Derek wouldn't allow that.

"I'm glad you are seeing Dr. Marcus today Derek because you deserve better too and I promise to consider my actions towards you in light of what you have done to help my son as opposed to the past."

Derek nodded and they both went back to serving their breakfast as Stiles came walking down the stairs and Derek handed him the mug of lukewarm coffee. The teenager smiled his radiant smile and Derek couldn't help but turn away, abashed under the stare. Then Stiles leaned in close and pressed a kiss to the side of his face and whispered, "Thanks Derek."

He nodded and they ate breakfast quickly before everyone piled into cars, Stiles and Derek were in the Jeep and the Sheriff in his cruiser. "He hates riding in this thing anyway," Stiles said with a shrug.

"Do you want him in the car with us for the drive?" Derek asked.

"Not really, there are some things that after everything that's happened that maybe we need to talk about. You know, boundaries and labels and stuff?"

Derek shuffled on the seat a little in discomfort, "Stiles I just had the talk with your father last night, do we _have_ to do this now?"

Stiles looked over at him in surprise as they paused at a red light, "You had what talk with my father last night?"

"I am not telling you everything we talked about but again, my intentions towards you, which then led to questions about sex."

"You talked about sex with my dad?" Stiles crowed, throwing his head back for a second as he started bouncing in the driver's seat and Derek was wondering at what point he should be concerned about the teen's driving but he was handling it well enough and it wasn't like Derek wanted to be a parental nag with the guy he might be dating.

"I'm glad this is so amusing to you," Derek said with a glare and a growl as he crossed his arms over his chest. "And just so we're clear we were talking about my sex with you, ya know!"

Stiles chortled, "Oh I get it Derek. I remember the sex talk with my dad, he about died of embarrassment, I wish I could have seen his face when he asked you about it."

"No you don't," Derek assured him, "He kind of looked like he swallowed a fish whole."

Stiles chuckled then sobered quickly, "So we just going to keep pretending we know what we're doing here?"

"Stiles, we are making things up as we go along, I don't think we're pretending anything."

The teenager shrugged, "Maybe not to each other in the privacy of these memorable moments," Derek growled at Stiles's cheekiness before the human continued, "but the pack need to know that we are a united front and I don't think we can do that without knowing some of the rules and guidelines here."

"I'm the alpha, that's all they need to know, besides you know everything ever about werewolf culture but the stuff between us—why would they need to know that confusing stuff?"

"I know you heard Lydia and I talking yesterday," Stiles stated.

Derek shrugged; he'd heard every word between the two promising friends so there was no point in pretending. He was just a lot better at functioning on a different level with all his abilities so listening in on their conversation hadn't been his focus it was just it the peripheral of his hearing range.

"For some reason they listen to me too, I don't know why. Maybe they sense the thing between us, the trust and bond we built before they were a part of this and it may be filled with animosity and something coming closer to friendship, its better than you are going to have with them. I had hoped that we could be partners, like it was on the field when Peter attacked and if its not going to be like that then I need to know. And the betas need to know, especially Scott. As you already are aware of; he has some serious issues with male 'authority figures'" Stiles put air quotes around the last before he continued, "So he's not going to follow you very well but I can help."

Derek reached over and pressed a hand into Stiles's arm, surprising the human for a second, "You are a part of this pack and you are special to me but I am scared of what would happen to you if we were to honor the bond and showcase the equality between us. Someone could challenge you and you're human. I don't know what to do about this; my mother isn't here to help me. No one is here to help me."

Stiles shrugged him off, anger and shame wafting off of him in waves in the Jeep's confines, "You have me, we have Deaton and we can find someone. Maybe there is some alpha out there willing to mentor you or something? Did you mother ever reach into the supernatural community, like Deaton did for Peter and to find Dr. Marcus?"

Derek shrugged and moved his hand back to his lap; not realizing how hurtful his words might be to the teenager who seemed desperate to find his place and the least Derek could do is recognize that Stiles always asked the important questions. "You know that's an interesting question, my mother was so well known within the community that they came to her. She never had to reach out and until the fire most of the Hale alphas were trained by the alpha that was stepping down and Laura never told me how to do any of it because she didn't have a plan for after she died, we didn't really have a plan for if she lived either. We were just surviving. Maybe there is someone who could help but you're right, I'm not alone. I have you," Derek said and was pleased with the flush on the human's skin. "We can find the answers, I just don't want to put you in danger anymore. I can't see you get hurt because of us."

Stiles rolled his eyes hard, and glared at the alpha, "I run with wolves Derek, I love Scottie like a brother, Allison and Jackson could grow on me—like lichen or something and I am not going to stop caring about you just because its dangerous."

Derek snorted, "Well that just makes you the dumbest genius I know because I don't know if we're worth you being in danger."

Stiles scoffed, "Well I guess it's a good thing that you don't make decisions for me despite the alpha status. If you don't want anything more than friendship and being pack-mates then I'll deal but that won't make me leave either."

The alpha nodded, knowing that this was probably one of the more ridiculous conversations they'd had because he knew at the beginning of it that Stiles wasn't going anywhere and Derek didn't really want the human to leave either. "Well then let's be idiots together."

Stiles sighed, "Sounds like a plan." He paused and his fingers started drumming on the steering wheel as they drove along, with the cruiser ahead of them.

"What Stiles?" Derek asked because the human had no idea how to be quiet if he didn't want to be.

"You still didn't talk about what this thing is at all, sneakywolf. Don't think I didn't notice."

Honestly Derek _hadn't_ noticed because Stiles could and will jump from conversation to conversation, he'd momentarily forgotten that 'the talk' was what started the whole train of thought in the first place. He just shrugged instead and leaned back against the seat but kept his head towards the human because he didn't want to shut him down.

"Maybe until I do some work about the trauma, we shouldn't try to label this," Stiles suddenly spouted and Derek took a deep breath because he didn't really know what to expect but that hadn't been it. Though it should have been, the teenager was so worried about what his trauma was possibly doing to the alpha. Derek took a deep breath, taking in the scent of sadness and shame, desire was potent and he didn't want to chase it away.

He reached out his hand and pressed it to the side of Stiles's neck, "Stiles are you asking for me or for you because your dad might have had a point when he said we are too busy thinking about each other and not actually thinking about ourselves and what we could be together."

"He said that?" Stiles asked, sharing a glance with the alpha as the traffic slowed for a mile or two on the highway.

"Well he said it about me and I see it in you. I don't want to lose you in my life because we rushed something when we were both so confused. We are both dealing with grief and shit circumstances. Maybe it's stupid to even try to be more than we are."

Stiles shrank away from Derek's hand a little but the werewolf just followed the motion as he soothed him gently and whined low in the back of his throat at the spike in fear from the teen's scent, "Will I be able to touch you, maybe hug you in the meantime?"

"You are going to make me have this conversation," Derek said with a snort that started to sound like a chuckle even to the werewolf as he shook his head at the teenager's insistence for answers, "I want to physically be close to you, I hope that is okay with you."

Stiles nodded in answer, "Touching is okay then?"

"Yes, I think that for now we have to stay away from being unclothed around each other and no sexual contact. We haven't kissed much and maybe we don't need to be kissing on the mouth for now, that could just lead to something we aren't ready for."

Stiles nodded but he was very quiet.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm really pissed that we're like this, that she did enough to both of us that our possible relationship has to be put on hold because we're both so fucked up. I didn't know I wanted any of my experiences to be with a dude but before she fucked me over, I thought about it."

Derek turned a little in his seat and watched as the blush moved up Stiles's neck and he smiled a little, "With me?"

Stiles rolled his eyes a little and laughed, "No you dork, definitely with Scott," he didn't let the sarcasm sit for long before he spoke again, "Yeah with you. Derek, you are an attractive man and when I kissed you and I liked it, I was so glad that you weren't dead but I don't know if I want to do anything with any other guy. It was just you."

"What does that mean then?" Derek asked because clearly Stiles had done some research on this.

"It means that I like _you_ and maybe that's all I need to worry about right now. I thought about it and I really liked the idea of touching you and being with you. I want to try it sometime but yeah we need to get through some of this other shit."

Derek swallowed thickly; there might be something weirdly comforting to being attracted to someone who had no brain to mouth filter because Stiles just said whatever he wanted. Stiles wasn't capable of personal subterfuge, he was definitely capable of it when it comes to protecting people like his dad but right now he was just blurting and his scent was clean. And that was helpful because Derek hadn't even thought about the idea of attraction, having it for someone or receiving it from someone else—not since Kate. But Stiles wasn't like Kate, he was naïve and spastic, he didn't want Derek for what the werewolf could do for him or how attractive he was. Stiles didn't even want the Bite. The teenager seemed like he just wanted to be close to Derek, safe with the Pack and given the opportunity to keep on living and having a friendship with Scott in all this madness not to mention keeping his dad alive.

"Well I am looking forward to a chance to try some things that you were thinking about but we promise each other time for now. I can focus on the pack, and recovering while you focus on getting back to normal and all the while; we don't stop sticking around each other."

Stiles nodded grinning and they continued the journey in silence for a while before Stiles flicked on the radio and fiddled with it until they were listening to some classic rock station for the rest of the trip. Derek leaned his head back and just listened as Stiles hummed along to the song and the tapping of his fingers on the steering wheel.

Derek found himself thinking of Laura's idiosyncrasies, she had been someone who wanted to be in constant motion; she paced their apartment a lot when she needed to move. She was sarcasm personified and she was kind despite the rolling anger she consistently had to shove down. He'd always been able to scent it in the air when he got home but she'd always just been there for him. She would have liked Stiles, he paired with Derek's stillness really well not that he'd always been still but maybe they could balance each other.

Stiles's scent stayed at a low level of anxiety though that seemed to be normal these days and they were going to do something about it. He was going to get a chance, if they found a dog for Stiles then the teenager would be able to do something with his life other than hide. That was the plan anyway.

"Thank you," Stiles said after a while.

Derek peaked over, "What for?"

"For agreeing to be my service dog even if that's not going to happen, for being willing to go back to high school for me."

Derek nodded, "Of course, I would do anything to see that you aren't hurt again."

Stiles smiled and about five more minutes and the cruiser's turn signal was on and pulling into a simple office building and Derek looked around. There was an open space near the back but the building was nothing spectacular. Though if supernaturals and people were meeting with counselors, maybe that was the point so no one would look to closely at anything that was being said there.

"Well here we go," Stiles muttered as he parked and they both got out of the jeep and followed the Sheriff inside.

They didn't say anything as they waited for Dr. Marcus to come and meet them. She didn't take long, walking across the distance of the entry and shaking the sheriff's hand then reaching out and taking Stiles's hand as well as Derek's for a squeeze then smiling and started, "I have a small group of dogs from one of the militarized agencies that we work with. These dogs are trained to be service PTSD dogs but they are also keyed towards other commands and cues specifically for the intent of protecting their owner. The team has never worked with someone still in high school so that is going to take some extra precautions because sometimes the dogs can get a little touchy about close quarters."

"Well Beacon Hills High is a much smaller high school then it could be so there's that," the Sheriff said. Stiles nodded and Derek knew that they lived in a small town but the school was much smaller as well. Stiles would figure this out, Derek had no doubt and the doctor didn't sound scared or concerned about it.

"Would you like to meet them Stiles?" Marcus asked with a smile.

Derek felt when Stiles reached out and offered his hand to the alpha and he accepted, interlocking his fingers with Stiles's as they walked around the side of the building and found four dogs playing in the backyard with four handlers, three men and a woman. There was a German shepherd, a pit bull, and two huskies; one was mostly white and the other mottled brown and black.

When they walked into the space, the trainers called the animals to heel in slightly different ways and it was hard even for Derek to keep up with what they were doing but the dogs were all very quickly moving to sit next to their handlers.

"Stiles I would like to introduce you to our four options for your service dog," she started with the pit-bull, "This is Victor," then the white husky-look alike because up close Derek suddenly realized that it was much taller than the brown husky, "This is Echo." Then the brown husky, "Tango and finally," the German Shepherd, "Sierra."

"Military code signals?" the sheriff asked.

"Yes," Dr. Marcus responded with a smile, "They were all trained in the same home base and that's how they choose to designate their dogs. They utilize a lot of military men and women as trainers and some like Sierra and Echo were in combat for short periods as a part of their training. They are highly attuned to the possibility of live rounds and shouts, things like that but know not to react to it unless their charge is in danger."

"What is all the extra training going to cost us?" Stiles asked, concern wafting heavily from his scent. Derek wanted to leap in and convince the teenager that there wasn't any concern about money but the Sheriff beat him to the punch.

"Stiles there is no price to big here, I have it on good authority from our lawyer that this is going to be covered as necessary for your recovery and your safety and as such it is a part of the remuneration from the hospital or from the Argent family. Either way this is going to be taken care of."

"Not to mention remuneration from my Uncle," Derek whispered into the back of Stiles's neck and the teenager waved him off. What Stiles didn't know was that he was planning on speaking to his mother's lawyers about that exact thing whether Uncle Peter liked it or not, he was one of the reasons that Stiles didn't feel safe though he was surprised to hear that the Sheriff was seeking legal assistance with the Argent family since Kate was on the run.

The hospital on the other hand, had lost the Sheriff's son to a homicidal maniac who did horrible things to him and she hadn't even been supernatural. Just garden variety human and crazy, so the man was undoubtedly going to win though it was going to put a damper on the relations between the hospital and the sheriff's department possibly.

While he was musing about all of that, Stiles had been looking at each of the dogs like he didn't know if he was supposed to touch or do anything at this point. Derek released him with a gentle push towards the dogs and he turned back to glare at the alpha who shrugged.

"I don't know what to do here, we need to be sure that the dog I pick is good with Derek right?" Stiles asked and the doctor nodded then waved Derek forward.

"Go ahead and release them, watch them though for any signs of discomfort or defiance to Mr. Hale, he is a central part of Mr. Stilinski's life and recovery."

That was a vague way of putting it but the trainers just did as they were told and the four dogs came over and immediately started sniffing around Stiles curiously as well as the Sheriff and Derek. Echo, the large white husky was already panting and trying to smoosh herself as close to Stiles as she could get, in between him and Derek. The alpha reached and offered his hand to the white canine and she lapped at his skin and dropped to her back to show her belly. Stiles smiled a little and dropped down next to the gentle creature to rub at her exposed belly. The other husky and the pit-bull quickly got distracted by something in the yard and wandered off though their trainers were quick to bring them in again. So far there was no posturing and signs of the animals not being able to deal with Derek and he knew they could scent him as something different. Each were wary in their way though they didn't overtly show it, a testament to their training undoubtedly.

The German shepherd after a couple of shy moments was pulled away after an intense growl. Dr. Marcus was taking notes and Derek noticed that even though Stiles was more than a little content to pet all the dogs there was something about the white husky that drew him in, Derek didn't feel anything coming off the dog that made him believe there would be any trouble in the hierarchy of the pack and his status, plus she had been conditioned for some extras that might be necessary since Stiles seemed pretty determined to land in the middle of dicey situations.

Not long after Stiles had dropped to his butt and started petting Echo everywhere she would allow, gently crooning at her while maintaining a respectable distance from her snout, Dr. Marcus walked over and pressed a hand to his shoulder. Stiles automatically stiffened and Derek stepped forward with a growl on his lips at the tension he felt rising into the air but the dog was already in motion. Echo was immediately on her feet and easily stepping between the doctor and Stiles and enforcing some distance all the while she was never aggressive, just a reminder to respect his needs.

The doctor smiled like that's what she wanted to see and stepped back again, "I apologize Stiles, it is a good sign that she is easily warming to you and she is well trained to step in without intent to hurt unless pressed. I will not touch you again without express permission. Have you made a decision?"

Stiles looked over at his dad and sighed, "Are you sure we can do this Dad, I had a pet snake and that didn't last more than a year before he disappeared. I don't know."

"You can do this Stiles," the Sheriff said with certainty that the teenager seemed to need more than anything else. "It's going to teach you about responsibility but she is also going to be there to make sure that you can get through the day, you're going to take care of each other."

"I want her then," Stiles whispered but it was so quiet that everyone in the yard heard him. The other dogs were retrieved and they walked away while the woman who had been standing with Echo stepped forward and smiled and Derek could taste her tears as they shimmered in her eyes. Though if he knew his chemo signals, it was happiness that was tinged with sadness that comes with saying goodbye to a trusted friend.

Stiles rose and reached out automatically as Echo placed herself on his left side and he pressed a hand in her head which was at his waist, her shoulder was about mid-thigh height. He could see now that she had a smattering of black and brown patterning along her back and down her tail and she was beautiful with just enough goofiness with her large ears. They made Derek think that she was a great fit for the gawky teenager who was more attractive than he knew because there was just something uniquely silly about her. Stiles reached out to shake the trainer's hand, "My name is Stiles."

The woman sniffed, trying to hold back the emotional response to what was happening but not really succeeding and Stiles was starting to look crestfallen when she shook if off and reached for Stiles's offered hand, "My name is Alia, I have some information about Echo for you. Shall we begin?"

Then before she could start Dr. Marcus held her hand up and Derek sneered at her, "Before you begin I need to take Derek away for his private session, Stiles are you going to be okay if Derek and I go inside. We will be in that room," she said and pointed to the first window to the left side of the back door and the teenager looked apprehensive then Echo shoved herself against his side and he smiled and there was enough old Stiles in there that Derek knew he was going to be okay.

Though Derek didn't think _he_ would be okay but such as life. Stiles nodded, reaching out and held his alpha's hand for a moment, "You're going to do great. You deserve nice things."

Derek nodded and turned to follow the doctor inside and they settled into chairs, no couches thank god because Derek was not going to lay down and feel vulnerable especially when this was already more than he'd ever been asked to do before. She tugged out something from her bag and realized it was a second notebook for which she replaced the other one with on her lap and she looked at him and waited.

He stared at her, brow raising in question as he wondered what Stiles was learning about his dog right now and if he was okay. He wondered if Allison was okay and Jackson despite the jock's decision yesterday to pull away from the pack, Derek could still feel him at the edge of his mind though it was a very weak bond. There was almost nothing there.

"Derek?" the doctor questioned and he wondered how long he'd been sinking into his train of thought and looked at the clock only to sigh when he realized that a minute had gone by.

"I don't know what you want," he finally gritted out, his claws forming in anxiety and his eyes flashing with a desire to run. _Run Derek! Before she knows all your secrets too._ To many people already knew them and he didn't want to give them to anyone else.

 _'_ _You deserve nice things,'_ Stiles had said.

No, he didn't.

"You have a very busy mind," the doctor finally claimed and he didn't say anything. Maybe she would just keep making judgements and he could stay silent until she was done. "Can you tell me a little bit about your uncle? What was your relationship like before the fire?" she asked and his gaze snapped to her.

"No," he snarled thinking about Paige and Stiles and that was too much.

"Can you tell me what it was like to have it just be you and Laura after it happened? Where did you go?"

Derek thought about his sister laying in the Preserve, cut in half and shook his head, saying nothing because it didn't seem to matter where he looked, it all hurt. He didn't want to think of the people he'd lost, he didn't want to think about any of those things because he already did all the time and the only way he'd been able to survive all these years was shut down everything except anger. He made a decision, when he full-shifted while searching for Stiles and that had opened the floodgates and Derek didn't know how to live in his own head unless he was focusing on anything other than his past which didn't leave him much.

"Derek, I am afraid that everything that we might try to start with is going to trigger an emotional response, now you can choose something to start with or I can choose something but I am going to need your cooperation here. I know you don't want to do this, I know also that your background is filled with grief and loss, undoubtedly some guilt and shame whether it belongs to you or not."

"It does," he whispered and she nodded.

"I know you believe that Derek but I don't think that it means that anyone in your family would want you to be miserable for the rest of your life."

His canines dropped into sharpened points and he snarled, "You don't know anything about it!"

"Then tell me Derek, tell me why you deserve scorn and misery."

He knew it was pathetic to care but suddenly he wanted to give some unstained party all the gory details so she could tell him that he was a piece of shit, then other people would stop second guessing him on the constant desire that he had to be alone and why, then again what if she told him he could be absolved, that he wasn't a broken piece of shit just like Stiles believed. Maybe her unvarnished opinion could help him see the situation in a new light – whether it was good or bad wouldn't really matter. He could also go back and tell Stiles that he had tried, it just wasn't an answer either of them could live with, then so be it.

For the next thirty minutes while Stiles and the dog got to know each other in the background, Derek told her the truth about Paige and Peter, and the root cellar where he took her life. He told the doctor about what his relationship was like with Kate and how much he wanted her and loved her. He told the woman what he told Kate and how he stupidly gave the hunter everything she needed to know to destroy his family and the only reason he wasn't in there too was because he and Laura had still been at the high school, waiting for them to come for the game.

Derek told her in no uncertain terms that he had been the cause for the death of so many of the Hale family, he'd been the reason for Paige and then when he didn't return home with Laura she was alone when Peter killed her.

"You have to see, I need you to see that this is my life and my story. I am not forgivable, how could I be?"

The doctor just watched him for another couple moments before she leaned forward and pressed her elbows into her knees and sighed, "Derek I want you to close your eyes and imagine your mother, imagine everything about her and put her in the chair right over there so you can look at her."

Derek growled, "No!"

"Yes, you have told me everything and now I want you to listen to someone you trust. You know your mother better than a lot of other people in the world; she was your alpha and your mom. She was your greatest supporter and your conscience. So know that I know what I am asking you to do when I ask this."

The alpha nodded and closed his eyes, thinking about everything about his mother from the dark brown of her eyes, her hair falling in lush waves all around her shoulders and down her back. He thought about her black wolf form but then quickly sank back into what it felt like when she hugged him or cuddled him when he was younger. He thought about the cadence and rhythm of her voice and took a deep breath.

"Now what?"

"Okay, imagine that you don't even need to tell her all of the things you just told me because you don't, she would have known. She was a strong alpha and you are her son. Tell me, deep in your heart; what would she say to you right now?"

"Go to hell," Derek muttered, not pissed at the doctor but sure that his mother would say something equally damning.

"Derek, what did your mother tell you when your eyes turned blue?" Marcus asked gently.

"That they were different but still beautiful, like the rest of me. She protected me when Paige died, her family never really knew what happened to her, there was a cover up because I listened to my Uncle and he told me that she would never love me for real if she didn't turn."

"Derek focus on your mother, focus on those words and all the ones she shared with you up until the time she died in the fire. Remember who she is, not what you think you deserve from her. What would she say?"

Derek took a deep breath and spoke like she was in the room, "Mom, I didn't know. I just knew that she said she loved me no matter what I was. I thought that she was going to love me and then everything changed and you burned because of it."

And then in his mind she leaned in gently and pressed a hand to his cheek, sliding it down his neck and back up again, spreading her scent and he could _feel_ her and _smell_ her as she answered him, "Derek, you were young and innocent. You trusted someone who said all the right things and she knew how to lie to a werewolf. She was much older and very calculating in her ways my sweet boy. She clearly sought you out and did what she needed to do to convince you that she cared for you and our people. You cannot be blamed for something that woman did to us. You are not to be blamed and we don't blame you. I need you to know that in your heart."

"How can I be sure?" Derek whispered back.

"Look around you love, do you see people running from you? No, you have found your way back home, you will stand as the next Hale Alpha and you will build something here because you are my son and you are good."

"I'm good?" he asked, voice cracking under the pressure.

"You are good," she said and Derek opened his eyes again and looked over at Dr. Marcus and sniffed when he realized that his nose was running and his eyes were damp. He shoved his fist into his eyes to get rid of the evidence though the doctor wasn't saying or doing anything, her scent was calm and neutral. He expected pity but she didn't smell like it so he grabbed a couple facial tissues from the box next to the chair he was sitting in and wiped off his face. The little white sheets of tissue fractured under the pressure exerted by his anxiety and the moisture soaked from his skin. He crumpled it in his fist and watched her and waited.

"You have an answer you know is true in your heart?" she asked.

He nodded because he did even if he didn't understand it. He shrugged, "It doesn't change anything though. It doesn't change that they are gone and that I played a part in that loss. None of that is going to be changed. I gave Kate information that she used to kill my family."

"But you didn't do it with the intent to harm anyone, you wanted to be close to someone and from what you shared with me you were concerned about repeating the same mistakes you had with your first love. You did what you could with what you knew. You know more now but there is something that Stiles has taught you more recently than any of those lessons that are clunking around in your mind."

"Uh huh," Derek answered unsure because he was busy thinking about the fact that he had thought about Paige and worried that the same thing would happen. He wanted her to be with him for him, and sadly she'd been with him for who he was and what he could get for her.

"Stiles taught you that you could have more than this hatred and fear. He trusted in you, he believes in you and you were able to complete a full shift?"

Derek looked over at her and frowned.

"Did you?" she asked and waited.

"Yes, I don't know how you know that though," Derek muttered and crossed his arms mulishly.

"It was a part of some of the reports from Dr. Deaton when he contacted me. He wanted me to have the details that I could have to help you and Stiles."

"If it wasn't for the fact that my mother trusted that man, you know—never mind that is not something for public consumption!" Derek growled, "A full-shift isn't something that every werewolf can do, the Hales can all do it as long as they are in tune with their wolves, accepting of every piece of themselves and with the help of an anchor I have that but no one should be passing that information around without my permission. It's a breach of trust."

The doctor nodded, "I can understand your anger and for my part I apologize for not allowing you to tell me your story."

He nodded, pleased with her honest amends and sighed, "She told me that I'm good. That I have always been good."

"And you know this is true?"

Derek nodded, "I miss her. I miss them all so much. There are so many made werewolf packs, there are a couple of large packs that are family based but the Hale family was one of the largest in the country and most of them were in the house for the celebration and they all died there leaving the rest to scatter in the winds. We had others, humans and wolves that were married into our family or slightly removed members of the Hale pack but when the fire happened, they all ran and hid. We never found anyone to take us in and Laura was so scared after such a vicious attack that we wouldn't just bring it down on the head of another pack if we went to them. We hid. We left and when she returned it was only to die."

"But it doesn't have to be like that Derek, you have already experienced that. What else did she say?"

"That Kate was manipulative and she knew how to lie to werewolves, she was older and calculating."

"Very true, from what you have described, she was very sure of what she was doing to you."

"And she said that I am going to be the Hale alpha and I can build something here."

"Something that Stiles has told you as well, right?"

Derek nodded.

"He doesn't seem to be going anywhere, neither are the betas because you have something they don't. Try and trust that you have a wealth of knowledge about being a werewolf, probably even some experience in controlling the shift though for different reasons. There is obviously more to do here and I am going to ask that while Stiles is in school, we speak every day either through Skype or in person for a while. There is a lot to go through and honestly you are probably going to have to seek out some other help, from another alpha maybe but for now we focus on working through the trauma in your past."

"Are we going to talk about all of it, you think talking about it is going to help?" Derek asked, not trying to sound condescending even though that's exactly how it came out.

"I think there are plenty of options out there, magical and non-magical choices. We try a little at a time and you find the way through this."

Derek nodded and turned to look out the window not realizing that he hadn't felt the need to seek out Stiles for a while and the teenager hadn't come running in here. He took a deep breath and watched as Stiles threw a ball down the field and grinning as Echo ran back with it in her mouth. Derek's heart stuttered a little at the easy grin on the teenager's face and shifted back to look at Dr. Marcus before he became a slack-jawed yokel staring at his crush.

"I don't want him to depend on me, you know?" Derek whispered thinking he needed to say this to someone who wasn't near to the center of the story for them.

Marcus nodded, "I see that in you but what do you want from him and for him?"

"I want him to be healthy and happy and maybe by my side if that's where he wants to be."

"And you want him there," she said.

He nodded and spoke the truth. Something that had been rattling around in his head for weeks now, "More than anything."

"Make sure that no matter the confusion, the trauma and all of that, let him know where you want him to be. Trust yourself and each other."

Derek nodded and they finished, rising and walking back outside where Stiles was now practicing some commands from a sheet of paper he was looking at, there was a harness in his hands that he was messing with but as soon as he heard Derek behind him the teenager spun and trotted over to him happily. "How was it?"

"Stupidly difficult," Derek grumbled and held his hand out. Stiles grinned and pressed his hand into Derek's and squeezed gently then he shoved himself into Derek's chest for a tight hug. Derek sank into the sensation of happy warmth and hope in his pack-mate's embrace. He tucked his nose into the side of Stiles's neck and scrubbed his scent into the skin even as he inhaled the delicious warm scent of Stiles he found there.

"Derek," Stiles muttered into the side of Derek's head and the alpha stepped back while Stiles looked back at Echo who was playing in the grass with Alia, the handler looked just about ready to leave so they had a few minutes before everyone was going to be loading into cars. "Derek I think this is going to work." He paused and Derek watched the sappy look move over Stiles's face, "Isn't she beautiful?"

"Yeah," Derek said with a small smile, "And she's well trained to protect you."

Stiles nodded, "I am going to be training with her and Alia a couple times a week and I am going to go back to that gym and sign up for some self defense and honestly, I know its hard to believe but I really want my dad to show me how to use a gun, maybe even get one."

"Stiles are you allowed to carry something like that on you before you turn eighteen?" Derek asked.

"No but they are in my house and I have access to them and honestly Kate," Derek flinched and Stiles rubbed a thumb across the back of his knuckles in comfort as he continued, "might think twice about someone pointing a gun back at her."

"Well I would imagine your dad has an opinion about all this," Derek said, deferring to whatever the older man might say seemed to be the safest bet for the moment. He wanted to tell Stiles that they would be able to protect him but he clearly couldn't make that promise. He didn't know what it was like to live in a world without natural defenses like Stiles so he had no idea what the answer was Stiles was hopeful again instead of just scared so Derek was all for keeping him that way.

"I'm sure he'll tell me all about it later. We are going to head out for some lunch and take Echo for a test drive, just to get me used to her being with me at all times like she is going to be."

Derek nodded and Stiles grinned again, leaned in and then paused, "Can I kiss you on the cheek?" he whispered.

The werewolf smiled and nodded, the press of the teen's lips sinking a little into the crease of his smile before Stiles was off and running again. He felt when Dr. Marcus moved up next to him, "I'll call to schedule something tomorrow okay?"

Derek thought about the carefree nature of the teenager in front of him and thought that if hope for something more than this grief and self-hatred looked even a little like that, maybe he was willing to do whatever was necessary and it wasn't just for Stiles. He nodded, "Yes doctor, I think that would work out well."

She patted him gently on the shoulder and moved out towards the sheriff and Derek was left to his thoughts which was a nice change after the constant talking and feelings of the day so far. He was looking forward though to seeing more of the budding partnership between Echo and Stiles.

A match made in heaven he thinks.


	4. Getting Acquainted

**Chapter Four: Getting Acquainted**

 **Author's Note: There is going to be a couple of chapters getting uploaded all at once, then we will be back on track. Sorry about the delay.**

When they left the building with Alia's number and Derek's next appointment set for the next day they were all groaning in hunger. The Sheriff chose a diner, where Stiles could get curly fries and complain about the burger his dad ordered. When they walked into the restaurant, several people looked over at Echo and when the waitress started to complain, she noticed the vest they put on her when they left. It declared that the big white dog was going to be with Stiles at every turn from now on.

Stiles sat down, with his dad on the inside and Derek on the other side of the table, Echo sat down and looked at Stiles until he commanded that she settle. Echo laid down with a sigh and Stiles reached down and scratched at the dog's head really quick before they looked over the menu and ordered.

It was the first time Stiles enjoyed eating in days, grinning because he knew that he was being given a chance to learn how to do this on his own. Well he wasn't going to be on his own completely but Stiles felt like he could do this with the new friend lying at his feet.

They talked about getting Stiles back in school, and what his schedule was going to look like for the foreseeable future. Every once in a while leaning down and pet Echo and the dog would look up at him. Stiles smiled then looked over at his dad, "Hey Dad, I want to go to the firing range. I know we haven't gone for a while but I want to know that I can safely use the guns in the house."

The sheriff choked on the food in his mouth and Stiles patted his back in sympathy, "What?"

"I know I can shoot but I want to make sure that after everything that happened I can handle the sound and feel of shooting a gun. After the phone, I don't want to get into a shitty situation and then I freak out because of the gunfire. I need to know I can handle this."

The sheriff sighed unhappily but nodded, "I want you to also show me a couple of self defense courses and we will enroll you in some of them. I don't want Echo and guns to be your only options. I think the physicality will help."

Stiles nodded, bouncing in his seat, looking over at Derek who'd been quiet for the whole exchange. The werewolf smiled slightly and reached his hand out. Stiles put his palm into the man's hand and held on for a couple of seconds while his dad pretended to not see the public display of affection. Though after a minute he cleared his throat and they moved their hands back to the food in front of them though Derek was still wearing that little smirk he does.

After lunch the three men and the dog loaded back into their vehicles, Echo settled in the back seat of the jeep and looked out the window in normal happy dog fashion while Derek got into the passenger seat. They watched as the Sheriff cruiser drove out of the lot and they followed, starting the trek back to Beacon Hills.

"How are you? You know?" Derek asked, trying to use his words.

Stiles looked back at the dog in the backseat and grinned, "I know its all going to suck sometimes but I think I can do this. I can go back to school and know that I can focus at least part of the day on schoolwork. I won't be alone and vulnerable."

Derek nodded and Stiles glanced at him a couple of times in the silence then leaned over and turned on the radio. The werewolf reached out and turned it back off.

"Hey!" Stiles exclaimed though there wasn't any heat behind it.

"I know you want to ask a million questions, I can smell it on you," he growled.

Stiles snorted, "What exactly does wanting to ask questions smell like anyway?"

"Curiosity has this sharp smell, like when an orange is first peeled and split, it's a part of your natural scent because you're always curious."

Stiles smiled, thrilled that Derek was talking about it then sobered because he did have questions but they ended here, "If you want to talk about everything you spoke about with Dr. Marcus that's up to you. The only thing I want to say is I hope that it helped a little. You're a good man Derek and you deserve to have some peace after what happened."

They fell silent and Stiles started the radio again, bumping and grooving to the sound even though he wasn't as peppy as he appeared. He couldn't help but think of his new life, in a werewolf pack and two epic bad guys chomping at the bit to get him though Peter was 'behind bars' though he didn't know if there were actual bars on his cage. He'd never been in Eichen House, didn't plan on going there for a visit of their Hale prisoner.

Derek leaned over and pressed a hand over his and Stiles realized that the other man had been calling his name for a minute or so. His fingers were gripping the steering wheel in a stranglehold.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"Don't be sorry, you don't need to be sorry. Do you want me to drive?"

Stiles shook his head, "I'm good, and we're close to home anyway."

When they got back to the Stilinski house, his dad waved them inside and closed himself into the office to fill out all the forms that were necessary for Echo to travel with Stiles to school. There were other red tape tasks for having Echo but since Stiles was still a minor he wouldn't need to file the paperwork himself. Someday if he ever had a job and Echo was still with him he would learn how to fill out everything.

But for now, his dad was stuck with the paperwork and Stiles was left with Derek standing awkwardly in the living room while Echo looked up at him, even after he took off the leash. She sat down and watched him.

Then he remembered, "Oh yeah! Release."

With that, she stood and looked around, starting off for the kitchen and the other rooms then headed upstairs and searched around Stiles's room. She must have smelled Derek and Scott; she looked back over to the werewolf then huffed in understanding. Of what, Stiles had no idea. He chuckled and Derek just shrugged.

As they continued wandering at Echo's leisure Stiles kept looking over the list of her commands, many of them were straightforward in the life of a dog. Attention and Release would be to bring her to 'work' and to let her relax. From what Alia told Stiles, she would remain on semi alert in case Stiles needed her protection but she would be allowed to roam free and be a dog when she was released from attention. She was well trained in using non-violent tactics first then warning the threatening individual then she would attack if that's what would keep Stiles safe.

"Well I guess the real test begins when I take her to school tomorrow but this is good, Derek, its not going to only be on you to keep me safe."

The werewolf nodded, "I'm glad."

When the tour was over, Stiles set up her food and water bowls, all things that Alia provided saying that having something from her old home would help with the transition. He would need to get food and treats but he had everything for at least the first week of their partnership.

Along with the commands, there was a schedule for feeding and what Echo would need for exercise. The simple plan laid out in front of him was soothing, Echo needed him to care for her just as much as he needed her.

He looked over and stared at the dog who was sitting and staring up at Derek. The werewolf was staring back, Stiles couldn't help but watch the interplay. Echo looked down every once in a while, showing submission but she didn't bare her stomach or throat so she wasn't willing to drop before Derek, but she was being respectful. Stiles had already spent a lot of time looking into pack dynamics and how they could translate to dogs but he had no way of actually knowing what was going to happen until now. He should take notes.

He would.

For now he looked down at Echo again and smiled, ever since she sat down with him on the lawn at the office he'd been taken in by her. Stiles didn't think it was because she was a beautiful looking dog though she was, there was something ineffable about her and she seemed content to be here with him.

Stiles couldn't get over the tears Alia shed when she handed the leash over. Not because she was upset he chose her but because she'd always known that Echo would make a fantastic protective and support animal. She said she always knew that Echo would know the person she was supposed to be with and though Stiles didn't know if he believed that necessarily but then again he'd seen his 'boyfriend'/alpha turn into a wolf so who was he to say what was real and what wasn't about some trainer's feelings.

After another two minutes of dog/werewolf staring contest Stiles moved them into the living room and slumped down on the couch and motioned to Echo who quickly settled at his feet and settled her side over his feet.

Even though Stiles desperately wanted to speak, he stayed silent. Derek settled a little at a time, his shoulders dropping and then he slipped sideways to press in close to the human's side. Stiles moved his arm over Derek's shoulder and rubbed his thumb over the werewolf's shoulder.

"We should tell the others about Echo, Scott and the others," Stiles whispered while Derek laid his head on Stiles's shoulder. He continued to caress the other man's arm, giving comfort and taking comfort from the closeness. He ached for this kind of contact for so long, Stiles was an intensely tactile person though he'd spent a lot of years hiding it under slapping back hugs and closeness with Scott. Having Derek close by, wanting the same kind of connection was perfect.

"You did really good, you were quiet for like two minutes."

Stiles grinned, "Shut up Sourwolf. You know you like my incessant talking."

"Like is a pretty strong term," Derek snarked and Stiles gasped comically. "But seriously, we should see what she's like with my beta and full shift. Seeing the others will be less likely to bother Echo if she knows all the cards with me and we don't want her to react differently to the werewolves at school tomorrow. It might not be enough but with Argent's eyes on us, we need to do everything we can to keep them safe."

Stiles nodded, "Where you want to do this?"

"Backyard, I don't want to feel confined. The wolf is going to be strong, going to sense her importance and I don't want to lash out at her. I don't know what this is going to be like for either of us."

Stiles pressed his nose to Derek's head and nodded as he took a deep breath through his nose and reveled in the scent of his boyfriend, "Let's do it then."

Derek stood up and helped Stiles to his feet. Stiles called Echo as they walked to the back door and stepped out onto the back porch which was little more than a step into a tiny back yard where Stiles built his first mud pies, and planted a sad little vegetable garden that lived about as long as his mother had who had a much greener thumb than her son. When she passed, everything else had fallen into fallow as well even Stiles and his father. Maybe they were finally coming out the other side of the season.

He shook off the gardener musings and watched as Derek beta shifted and released Echo over to him. She looked back at Stiles and he smiled, "I know its weird but its still Derek. Its still your alpha, not your owner or your boss but your alpha."

Echo turned back to Derek, sniffing at him and giving a little rumble though it didn't sound threatening or upset, just a noise of confusion or understanding? Stiles wished he could speak dog.

Then Derek started removing his clothes in efficient movements but they were slow enough to not startle the dog. When he pulled off his boxers Stiles was left focusing on his face in the desire to not let his gaze wander even though he _really_ wanted to look down.

"Not gonna look, not gonna look," he whispered over and over as he closed his eyes for a second to shake off the lurid desire to stare then looked back over at Derek again who was staring at him with fond exasperation. The look was enough to bring Stiles's focus back to the man instead of the body, "What?"

"You smell like lust and desire," Derek responded and Stiles groaned.

"Sorry."

"No," Derek took a couple steps forward and Stiles squinted with the desire again to look down but kept his eyes locked as Derek's eyes glowed red, "Its different than others, its attached to the words and actions of someone who respects me and likes me more than for the body I wear. That's why I can do this," Derek said and there was a ripple across his skin and then suddenly there wasn't a naked Derek but a black wolf. Derek's wolf was majestic and his red eyes were shining. Stiles looked quickly over to Echo who was sitting and watching Derek. They were close enough to see that Derek's size was about six inches taller at the withers but she didn't seem impressed or violent. She was calm.

Stiles bounced happily just as Derek walked over to him and rubbed Stiles's legs. He leaned down and patted the wolf in the side. Echo walked over to them and the human grinned as he patted her too. Derek growled a little and Echo sidled next to Stiles but didn't back down. She looked down and away from Derek as the werewolf continued to growl.

"Derek, you going to be okay here?" Stiles asked, wondering if he should get Echo away from the werewolf.

Derek/wolf looked up at him, blinked and tilted his head a little then he woofed before bouncing away from the human. He leaned forward, his butt in the air and Echo cautiously moved forward and they played together. Stiles pulled his phone out and took a couple pictures then sent a quick text to Scott. If his friend brought the others with him then so be it but he wanted the others to know about Echo. He wanted them to know that maybe this wasn't the magical answer to all his problems but it was a start and with Derek's acceptance of her and Echo's acceptance of Derek nothing was standing in the way of that.

Something grabbed his sleeve and he looked down to see Derek's grinning black snout, the flash of teeth and those shining eyes. "What's up Sourwolf?"

Derek released him and woofed again, Stiles grinned and leaned down, "What is it Lassie, did Timmy fall down the well?"

Derek growled at him, clearly not amused them woofed before he went back to where Echo was playing. They were playing tug-o-war with a stick they found on the ground and Stiles grimaced at the idea of putting his mouth on something that was in this yard. He would just make Derek brush his teeth later.

"Hey," Scott shouted as he came around the house and Stiles's gaze snapped back to where his friend was and winced as Derek and Echo both reacted on instinct. They pushed Stiles back away from the 'interloper', Echo was next to Stiles but doing nothing else. Derek was snarling at his beta. The human groaned at the show of dominance before he reached out and bopped Derek on the nose, the werewolf sneezed and looked up at him.

"Scott, you probably should have let me know you were coming over. I have two very protective creatures here."

The teen wolf lifted his hands in surrender, "Sorry, you were so excited about this and I wanted to meet her."

Stiles pressed a hand to Echo's head and Derek's back. "Scott, you've seen Derek's alpha form, and this is Echo. She's my new service dog. She has also be trained for protection so seriously don't make her jumpy."

Scott looked from the black wolf to the white dog then back to Stiles again, "Are they playing?"

Derek growled again and Echo whimpered, shoving her nose into the side of Derek's snout. The werewolf nudged her away but calmed a little. Stiles smiled at the thought of fully shifted Derek caring about all the members of their pack, including Echo. Derek bounced away from Stiles and nipped at the ruff under Echo's head and she pounced after him.

"Why is he doing that?" Scott asked. Stiles stared at his friend, wondering about the disdain he could clearly hear in his friend's voice.

"Probably for the same reason he trains with you and Allison, to bond with a packmate."

"I don't like this, I don't want to be part of his wolf pack and I don't get this at all Stiles."

He frowned at his pouting condescending friend, "What the hell is up with you Scott? You said you would try with Derek. You agreed to this."

"Because of you!" Scott snapped and Echo turned to check on Stiles while Derek was already growling and growing… oh he was growing, the shift back took much more time but it was still quick. Stiles took a moment to wonder if Derek was slowing the process to prove something to Scott, maybe the power he held. Stiles would ask later when his best friend wasn't being a weirdo.

"Well, you have to decide for yourself if you are going to be able to listen to me as your alpha," Derek said when he was human again. He casually leaned down, showing Scott his vulnerable back leaving Stiles to roll his eyes and shake his head at the power play between the two werewolves.

"Okay Sourwolf, put your dick away. Both of you are manly beautiful men and there is no need for the measuring sticks and I cannot believe I am saying this right now. When did I become the voice of reason? Its exhausting."

Derek walked over and patted Stiles's cheek in a semi-comforting, mostly amused gesture. Stiles shoved him away playfully and Echo was calm now that she knew that Stiles was okay despite the raised voices. She took a seat next to Stiles while Scott stared off into the distance while Derek wiggled into his incredibly tight jeans and jerked his shirt on over his head.

"So you want me to lose my best friend because I can't listen to you and he decided to be with you?" Scott demanded.

Stiles growled, bringing Echo and Derek's gaze over to him, "I love you to the moon and back bro but you are going to have to stop treating this like an us or them conversation unless you're talking about the hunters then we can have that conversation all day long. You are both werewolves, Derek is an alpha and someone who can teach you to live with these powers. This is the same someone you were willing to learn from before this somehow became a pissing contest over Allison and me."

Scott crossed his arms looking sullen.

"Look Scott," Derek interrupted, "I have said this more than I care to but this is never going to be about choosing sides, pack can be more than protection. I want it to be like it was with my family; we aren't here to boost each other's power base. I took the alpha power because it was my birthright and there are new betas that I could try to help. I could bring you to heel but I won't because I am not my uncle, I'm not going to force you to listen to me. You can stay in the pack or not, its your choice."

Stiles heaved a deep breath, letting it out in a groan. Derek turned back to him and rubbed a hand down one of Stiles's arms in comfort then walked inside leaving the two best friends and the dog alone. He would still be able to hear from anywhere in the house if he tried hard enough but Stiles didn't care, there wasn't anything he had to say here that he would keep from Derek.

"Scottie," Stiles cajoled.

His friend sighed and flopped down on the step and when Echo walked over, he held out a hand to let the dog sniff him. Echo woofed at him a little, like when she was playing with Derek but Scott just pulled back and she looked up at Stiles. He waved her away and she went to get the stick that they were playing with a few minutes before. Stiles threw it for her while he waited to see if Scott was going to talk or not.

"I don't want an alpha," the teen said and Stiles shrugged as he threw the stick again. Echo bounced away happily and he couldn't help but smile at the joyful creature. God it had been a long time since he'd felt like that, maybe since before his mom. He'd been so busy pretending that everything was okay, or taking care of his dad and Scott to notice that he wasn't happy. All the sarcasm and laughter, all the times with Scott he'd spent so much of it hiding anything real or deep or painful. Maybe that's more so what their friendship was about, having someone to hide together with but Stiles didn't want that anymore.

And now what happened with Kate was dragging everything to the surface. Well Dr. Marcus was not going to be bored in sessions.

"Stiles!" Scott called and he snapped back to attention.

"Sorry man, I was zoning. Happens sometimes, you know since that thing."

Scott looked down and away at the reminder and Stiles sighed, he hated that response so fucking much. He coughed and started again, "I don't want an alpha."

Stiles shrugged, "Then don't come to the training, but you are going to have to remember that Allison is going to be with him. She needs someone to train her to fly under the radar. I am hoping Jackson is going to join as well but you heard Derek and I am not going to make any demands either. We can bro hang when we can but I am going to stick close to Derek for more than just the protection. Though undoubtedly you are going to be doing your Allison-stalking thing for a while and have a blast with that."

Scott squawked in offense and he stumbled to his feet as Echo bounded back over to them and looked at Scott, waiting for the werewolf to play with her. Scott just ignored her until she pranced back over to Stiles who threw the stick again and Stiles sighed, "She's a dog. She's innocent and she just wants to play. You smell like pack. Why can't you just throw a stick for her?"

"Are you going to throw a stick for me?" Scott snarled.

Stiles chuckled but it didn't sound like humor even to his ears, "I might hit you in the head with the stick but no I am not going to play fetch with you. Scott, you don't deserve fetch because your not being very nice, I would be more likely to swat you in the nose with a rolled up newspaper."

"Dog jokes, really nice Stiles," Scott sneered.

"You started it," he shrugged, trying not to feel baited by Scott's bad mood.

Scott watched Echo for another minute while Stiles threw the stick again and looked back to his friend, "She going to help?"

"I think so."

"Good," Scott said, "I'll text you later okay?"

Stiles nodded and watched as he left, Echo coming back with the stick but she dropped it before he could take it, "All done chasing the stick?"

She sneezed and walked over to the door, Stiles chuckled and moved to let the dog inside and followed her to where Derek was brooding in the living room. "So that went well."

Derek shook his head even as he leaned forward to pat Echo on the head before she started wandering the edges of the room, "He's never going to accept me as his alpha."

Stiles waved him off, "Maybe. Maybe not but we can't force it. He's either going to sit on the sidelines while you train Allison or he'll get over his bad self. For now though, I have homework if I am going to school tomorrow. Echo means that I am not getting out of that."

Derek snorted, "You weren't getting out of school anyway, you're too smart and having an education supposedly is how you get things in life."

Stiles frowned at Derek before flopping down next to him on the couch, gesturing to his feet and Derek's lap. The werewolf nodded and Stiles moved his feet to the man's lap, sighing when Derek grasped his feet and rubbed them a little. Stiles felt a stab of self-consciousness, wondering if his feet smelled or if they were gross but then Derek just kept holding them in his warm hands so he flailed a little then asked, "Did you finish high school? After the fire and everything?"

Derek shook his head; "We were running for most of the time since then. We had a couple places that we bounced around. Education wasn't the highest of priorities. Laura worked as a temp in offices around town, she had a good resume and I mostly worked in restaurants and fast food joints, anywhere we could maintain a cover. We had money but we rarely ever touched it, worried that someone could possibly track the accounts because they were still attached to the life insurance and the house insurance."

Stiles watched him and crossed his arms over his chest, "You have money?"

"Again, we don't use it much so yes we have money. I have all the accounts and someone to take care of it in my mother's name and we speak every once in a while about it. Laura used to do that." Derek sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead. "I miss her Stiles."

Stiles reached over and rubbed Derek's shoulder in comfort, "I get that. Its been a long time and I still miss my mom. Can you tell me about Laura?"

Derek looked over at him, "We were twins actually. Can you believe it? Most people didn't really notice because she was on the fast track and ended up skipping a grade. I was an egotistical jock and a jerk with my eyes on skirts and the ball. Our other siblings weren't in high school yet and we weren't really that close. She was a lot like Lydia actually; amazingly smart and ready to take on the world, working three jobs to make sure that she would have the experience she needed to do something she wanted to do when she was out of college. I was always so impressed that she could keep us together, she could keep me calm and centered and I don't think it was only because she was my alpha. I think it was just who she was, so much like our mom."

Stiles smiled, "She sounds like a badass. I wish that Dad hadn't asked my mom to stay away from your family. I wish we could have had all that time together. I could have learned from all of your family members about packs and werewolves. I could have seen Laura in action, I could have known you."

"I wasn't as special as I thought I was," Derek said with a self-deprecating smile.

"I don't know about that, I bet you were as good a basketball player as you thought. I bet you were a good friend despite the ego."

Derek shook his head, "I don't really know. After Paige, I lost sight of myself. Maybe this is the new me now."

Stiles leaned forward a little more to shove Derek's shoulder in play, "Well this Derek Hale is pretty great too, even with the brooding."

He smiled and they fell silent, Stiles leaned in after a couple minutes and pressed a kiss to the side of Derek's head. After a while Stiles moved to get his bag and books, working on his assignments then also started writing a couple of papers that he could sell for some extra bucks. He could consider an actual job but for now this was the best he could do. Derek stayed on the couch and read a book. Echo stayed close to Stiles, he would reach down every once in a while and pat her head, his feet running along her side or slipping his toes under her stomach. She moved when she wanted to, she drank water or munched on her dinner when she needed to but mostly she stayed close to him and it was a lot easier to get used to than Stiles imagined it would be.

They were getting dinner ready when there was a knock on the door and Stiles walked to the front of the house with Echo on his heels. He looked through the window next to the door and grinned as he opened the door to find Lydia and Allison on his porch, "What brings you ladies to my porch?"

The answer was obvious when Allison moved into the threshold and hugged Stiles tightly. Stiles stood with his hands lifted awkwardly before he wrapped them around the hunter princess/nascent werewolf and looked over as Lydia smiled a little. She looked down held her hand out for Echo to sniff. The dog did so obligingly then let herself be patted on the head. Once Allison was done smothering him with concerned affection along with some surreptitious scent marking she leaned down and started talking to Echo.

"Well aren't you just the most beautiful dog I have ever seen."

Stiles grinned and invited them fully into the house and watched as Derek reached his hand out to Allison who was looking unsure of what she should be doing. When he pressed a hand to her shoulder, the girl immediately folded herself into Derek's arms and he scent marked her on the crown of her head before he heaved a great sigh and took a step back.

"Thanks, I don't know what that was," she responded quietly.

Derek patted her shoulder, more uncomfortable with the 'human' gesture then he had before with the werewolf gesture. "It's because you're new and I am the alpha you chose to follow. It's going to be strong for a little while. It might be best if we had some sleepovers just to be close a couple times a week but that would be tough for the Argents to accept, I'm guessing… Well, either way we will figure out times to see each other until the need for closeness and scent marking starts to subside. It will always be a part of you now but it won't always be this strong."

Allison hugged herself and nodded, "What if I slept over with Lydia, and then we could both come here once or twice. We could all shove together in the living room and obviously nothing naughty is going to happen."

Stiles nodded, "I can ask, just let us know."

Allison nodded and Lydia gave one of her imperious nods. Stiles rolled his eyes and looked down at Echo who was looking from each person then looking over at Stiles again. She was clearly smart enough to know her commands but as he looked into her eyes it was like he could actually see her working things out.

"So how are things going with Echo?" Lydia asked, snapping Stiles back into focus.

"Good, Dad is working on the paperwork and we have been getting to know each other. Echo met Derek, saw him as a beta and in his full shift, she did really well with him. She was a little protective with Scott but I think that had more to do with him being an idiot with Derek than anything else. And she's good with you guys. I think she's going to handle pack life well, I mean she was made for it after all."

Allison chuckled and Stiles kind of understood why Scott had such a torch for her, the noise was so freaking happy, he couldn't help but smile back at her. His Dad came in from the kitchen to ask the girls if they wanted to stay for dinner and they agreed since it was pizza and salad. They sat around the living room, talking about school assignments and Derek actually shared a couple of pre-fire family stories which Stiles couldn't help but flush with pride and desire at the thought of him telling Allison and the others about his brush with control problems, even the mantra that his mother taught him. All of it was said with a pang of sadness that would appear at random moments throughout each story and Stiles touched him in comfort. The Alpha would turn and stare at him with gratitude then he would continue.

Allison watched Derek with rapt attention and Stiles chuckled thinking that they were going to get Scott with or without Stiles on Derek's side because Allison had clearly chosen to accept Derek's alpha status and if Scott wanted to be close to her, even get her back at some point he was at the very least going to end up hanging out with them a lot.

He wasn't going to take Scott's words earlier to heart, the guy was hurting in the ego and the heart and Scott wasn't to great at words. Neither of them was great when it came to actual emotions and stuff. Video games, yes. Girls, hells yes. But not the emotional crap.

They finished dinner and the Sheriff said they could watch one movie in the living room together before the girls were sent home, other future stays would be decided on a different day. Stiles, in his sly ways decided on the first Lord of the Rings Extended Edition and they curled up together on the floor in front of the couch. They pulled all the cushions off the couch, Derek was holding Stiles on one side and Allison was tucked in on the other side since she needed the comfort of physical connection more than any of them even Stiles. Lydia was settled in next to Allison and the girls were holding hands while Echo moved to Stiles's other side. She curled up close to his back, keeping him warm and safe while Bilbo's party came about and the legendary adventure was about to begin.

He would have to get up soon and get ready for bed. He would need to take Echo out for one last walk of the day. He would get up tomorrow and got to school with a protection dog, would have to see the looks and so on not that he really cared about those looks so much. Right now though, he just curled as close to Derek as physically possible and smiled because they could make this pack thing work. Telling his dad had turned out to be one of the better decisions especially when a third of the way through the movie he heard his dad moving around the living room until he could settle on the other comfy chair in the living room. Stiles knew his dad was looking at them, eventually he sighed and turned his attention to the movie instead of the puppy pile on the floor.

The next morning started like any other school day, except there was Echo. Stiles took her outside to go to the bathroom and then fed her the breakfast before making some omelets for him, Derek and his Dad. Derek stayed downstairs with the dog while Stiles took a quick shower and got dressed for the day. He went back down to find Derek and his dad chatting in the kitchen so he grabbed his messenger bag and Echo's leash and little jacket. She saw it and stood at attention while he attached it around her. Then he attached the leash to her collar and they headed out to the jeep but Stiles stalled out a couple yards from the door and looked back to see his dad standing on top step outside the door.

"You're going to be fine Stiles," his dad said and Stiles nodded and pushed down the desire to run back and hug his dad.

Derek reached over and took Echo's leash and nodded towards the Sheriff, "You're not less than because you need him."

Stiles smiled and rushed back to hug his dad, the man gripped him tightly around the shoulders and pushed his nose into his son's neck. Stiles clung to his dad for another minute then stepped back. His dad let him go and nodded when Stiles stayed there for another unspoken second.

"Thanks Dad for her and everything," Stiles whispered then headed back to the Jeep. They all got in, Echo in the back again and headed towards the school.

"I'm meeting with Doctor Marcus again today so I am not going to be in the lot lurking for someone to call the cops on. Scott and the others are going to be close and you have Echo."

Stiles nodded, "I know Derek, you did what you needed to see me safe now I need you to keep getting better. It's for all of us, you know."

Derek snorted, "Yeah I know."

Stiles leaned over enough to press his hand to Derek's shoulder and squeezed, smiling when Derek leaned his head to press his cheek to Stiles's knuckles. "My day is going to be good ole fashioned boring, I can't wait to tell you all about it then you can tell me about your session okay?"

Derek rolled his eyes enough that Stiles could feel it in his hand and he grinned even wider as he pulled away and drove into the school parking lot. He parked and stumbled out of the seat in classic Stiles fashion and grabbed his bag and Echo's leash. She was still sitting in the back waiting for him to call her and he did. She bounced out quickly and moved to his side. Stiles looked over the hood at Derek who was watching the pair of them.

"Are you going to take the jeep or just run to your appointment?" Stiles asked as he closed the jeep's door and headed for the school. Derek moved to walk next to him.

"I don't actually know where we are meeting and it's not for another hour and a half so I am just going to be here for a little while this morning. It helps, being where you and the pack are. I will probably end up lurking anyway, so don't think its about you today."

Stiles turned and watched as Derek winked at him and chuckled, loving the fact that Derek Hale just winked at him, "I would never."

Derek reached over and pulled him to a stop, motioning them both behind a nearby truck, hiding them from all the prying eyes and the werewolf leaned in close to press his nose to Stiles's shoulder. The human reached out and pulled Derek in for a tight hug, one that brought them into contact from shoulder to thighs. Stiles dropped the leash, knowing that Echo wouldn't go anywhere and pressed one hand to Derek's back and the other to the back of the man's head. The alpha reveled into the contact, making a growling purr noise of contentment and just a little fear like he wasn't sure he should like this all that much. Stiles just shoved his nose into Derek's neck and smiled, "Stay safe, and I'll see you after school."

"I'll be here," Derek pulled back enough to say then pressed a kiss to the underside of the human's jaw then he shoved Stiles towards the building. Stiles leaned down belatedly and grabbed Echo's leash and started walking. He tried not to look back, thinking that if he saw Derek standing there all by himself he would just turn around again. He looked anyway, Derek waved at him then turned towards the jeep and Stiles knew that if Derek could walk away and trust that Echo and Stiles and the pack were safe then he would damn well be safe.

He made it inside and headed to the office with the final paperwork and notes from the doctors about his needs and what that would entail. He handed over the paperwork and listened as the front desk ladies cooed at his dog. Then he headed to his first class, waving at Scott who was looking like someone kicked him in the gut. Jackson and Lydia were both there and ignoring each other in Ice King and Queen fashion and Allison was the buffer in the middle of them all.

It was going to be an interesting day.


	5. Counseling and New Ground

**Chapter Five: Counseling and New Ground**

Derek texted the number that Dr. Marcus gave them to call in case of emergency, asking her where she wanted to meet for their session and then looked back towards the building from his perch on the jeep's hood. The students were all thinning out as they went inside and he hoped that Echo was going to help with Stiles's overall ability to focus on his studies.

He didn't like the idea of leaving the whole pack here, especially since Jackson was being standoffish and Scott and Allison were on the outs. Stiles was going to have to work even harder to keep them all together and he should be worrying about his studies. He knew from their random conversations in the train depot that Stiles had grand dreams and ambitions about his future and he didn't want Stiles's future to be derailed because of werewolves and the supernatural.

Derek's life had been upended because of hunters and Kate and everything. If he was being honest with himself, it wasn't just Stiles. He wanted them all to be okay; to grow up and have a life, something that he'd had taken away so many years ago.

His cellphone jingled and he tugged it out of his jacket pocket to read the message from Marcus, _'I asked the school if I could work out of one of their empty offices and they agreed. Go into the office and let them know you are meeting with me. We can talk more when I get there.'_

Derek gave his phone the side-eye wondering how she got permission to work out of the school with a grown up patient but shrugged it off. He wasn't going inside since it was still about an hour before he was supposed to meet with her so instead he slipped off the car and took off towards the nearest coffee shop. He didn't normally drink a lot of caffeinated beverages because they just made his already jangled senses even more hard to control, he liked a good hot chocolate or tea every once in a while. It was something to do.

He found a small coffee shop and walked inside and the few people that were inside stopped to look at him like people invariably do in a small town and he hunched his shoulder and tried not to make eye contact with anyone as he heard the whispers about being arrested and the inquires about who he was. Sometimes Beacon Hills was to small for the personal good of anything supernatural because sooner or later people got too curious.

Like Stiles and Claudia Stilinski.

He smirked a little as he thought about how well that was going at the moment then ordered a hot chocolate from the staring barista and held out the money to pay.

"Name for the order?" the young girl asked and he looked around at the lack of line in front of him and behind him, cocking his eyebrow in question. The barista just stammered and gestured him down to where he could pick up his drink without another word and no name on the cup.

Small towns without his family and family home were even harder to deal with.

After receiving his hot chocolate, Derek walked back out into the fresh air, glad to be away from the whispers and the rumors. He could scent the disgusted curiosity because of what he looked like despite the fact that half the town knew him only because he'd been arrested for possibly killing his sister.

"Laura," he whispered as he sipped a little from his drink, "God why did you decide to come here by yourself?"

He couldn't help but think back to New York where they'd been for about six months before she decided she needed to go home and check out whatever Deaton had found. Some body with a mark on it, Derek remembered. No matter the reason for coming back to Beacon Hills, he couldn't change that she was dead, he couldn't change that Uncle Peter was the one that killed her and he couldn't change that Peter then did everything he could to destroy any life that got in his way.

If he hadn't been gone when she decided to come home, maybe she wouldn't be dead. He shook off the thought, trying to remember all the things Dr. Marcus had already told him and what Stiles has told him. It wasn't his fault that she decided to leave without him; Derek wasn't given the opportunity to offer to travel with his alpha because he hadn't even known she was talking to anyone back in Beacon Hills. They'd been receiving emailed updates about Peter, and Laura told him hundreds of times that there was nothing for them back home. There had been no reason for him to ask her, for all the secrets he'd carried beyond her death she'd carried things silently as well.

Derek growled at the thought process and started walking towards the lacrosse field and wondered if he could bring shorts and running shoes and maybe he could run the next time he ended up at the school. If he had any, most of his belongings were still back in New York in the closed apartment. Thankfully it was in his name as well otherwise Laura's death would have caused a lot more trouble for him. He could also just run in town, though that came with some concern about the hunters. The Argent's had allowed Kate to fall from grace for the fire and Stiles's kidnapping but it didn't mean that they were going to let him live in peace.

He wanted to run, he just wanted to be safe.

Beacon Hills wasn't safe, it was the only truth he'd had for the last eight years and now he was back and he had a pack that needed his help. And Peter turning Allison wasn't going to create some happy pathway to peace because the Argent's were well known for their attitude about ritual suicide if bitten.

Christopher Argent seemed like the kind of parent who would be able to look past it but he didn't know anything about the mother but with Kate in the ranks it would be hard to tell what could happen. So they were stuck, here in Beacon Hills and hiding out.

He took another drink of the hot chocolate only to find it was lukewarm and sighed. He drank some more of it before finding a nearby trash can to dump the rest and heading for the front doors, having lost track of time and found it was about fifteen minutes until he was supposed to meet with Marcus.

Derek opened the door and tried to breath through his mouth, to keep as much of the sweat and hormones out of his nose as possible. Derek couldn't stop the mini shudder, thinking about when he was a teenager and dousing everyone around him in hormones and lust. He couldn't imagine it now but once upon a time it had been a natural part of his scent. Now it was repugnant, in its intensity and seemingly always paired with desperation.

Maybe that was why Stiles's scent was unique, because though he smelled is intensity and arousal; there was rarely that desperation that is frequently paired with the kind of desire to be noticed and loved that teenagers feel.

After a minute, he was able to step all the way inside and turned towards the office without wondering where it was. It had been a long time since he'd been in Beacon Hills High school as a student but it was easy to remember and find his way. He opened the door and smiled a little, trying to make himself look less like the crazy guy who was taken in for questioning not that long ago.

When the woman looked up and visibly moved back in her chair, Derek stopped smiling, letting his expression become more neutral before speaking figuring that it wasn't making anything better. "Hello, I am meeting with Dr. Marcus, we have an appointment and she told me to meet here?"

He tried _not_ to make it a question but it didn't work.

The woman nodded and picked up her phone, asking whoever was on the other end of the phone what to do with him. She didn't say anything suspicious but she looked a lot like she was about to send up smoke signals to get him out of the office.

He just waited until she got done, already hearing the other person tell her to let him relax in the office they were going to use for the session, for 'everyone's comfort' but he figured they meant so he didn't stay where the students could come along as see him. Derek shrugged it off as best he could but didn't really feel the burn; it wasn't the first time he was the focus of unwanted attention in one capacity or another, especially in Beacon Hills. The Hale family had always been a peculiar bunch, not that people knew it was because they were werewolves just that they were odd. He'd really only ever been popular because of his skills on the basketball court and he was a cool guy who had a lot of girls chasing him. Then Paige died in suspicious circumstances and everything changed.

He followed the woman behind the counter and sat down in one of the empty chairs in the office he was shown into and the woman closed the door firmly and walked away sighing in relief. Derek growled under his breath and pulled out his cell phone, turning off the ringer then sending a quick message to Stiles; _'I am meeting with Dr. Marcus in the office. I'm here. How is Echo doing?'_

He didn't really expect an answer since there was a distinct lack of teenagers out in the hallway so a couple minutes later when his phone screen lit up he looked down in surprise. _'We are stealth texting, I saw your message. She is a star.'_

There was also a line of little laughing emojis and about twenty stars on the message and Derek fumbled around looking for the emoji keyboard that Derek put on his phone and found the one rolling his eyes to send back.

Stiles sent back another message back almost immediately with a winking emoji and one with heart eyes.

Then the door opened and Dr. Marcus walked in, he stood and faced her as she closed the door again with a smile, "Mr. Hale. Please sit back down." He nodded and watched as she closed the shade over the window in the door then took the other chair from behind the small desk and pushed it around so there was just open space between the two chairs. It was a small space but there was still about three feet between them.

"Thank you for meeting me here, it was actually a two fold for me since you and Stiles are both here and also there is a chance that your friends who were also affected by everything with your Uncle might need to see me. I am going to speak to the school about hosting me here for our sessions then continue to offer my services to other students."

Derek nodded, mostly because he wasn't ready to talk yet.

"Unless this makes it harder for you?" she asked gently as she moved her gaze in his line of sight.

He jerked up and stared at her, "I'm close to my pack, and the discomfort of people here doesn't matter."

"And your discomfort?"

"This is all uncomfortable," Derek snapped.

Marcus laughed, completely unimpressed with his snarling anger. "Fair point, Mr. Hale." She paused and watched him for a few minutes then asked, "What happened when you spoke to the lady at the front?"

"I made her uncomfortable. I was questioned for the murder of my sister," he shrugged.

"And?"

"I'm used to being stared at, I tried to smile to make her feel better but it made it worse I think. It's been only Laura and me for so long, I don't really know how to communicate with people anymore. I didn't have to talk with Laura, we knew each other in a way that only family and only werewolves can. I miss her and I miss the anonymity of the city."

Marcus nodded, "Do you believe the anonymity kept you safe?"

Derek flashed his eyes without really meaning to, "We weren't in danger for years then she came back to this small miserable hell hole and she was killed the day after her arrival. What else should I believe? I was threatened for being here, existing here, by the brother of the woman who destroyed my family without any qualms or conscience. And now I have nascent betas, one of which is the daughter of said hunter. I am not safe here, none of us are."

"Do you want to leave?"

"Yes… No… I don't know." He stammered and scrubbed his hands through his hair, frustrated that he had to be here at all. If Stiles wasn't in the picture, Derek wouldn't be here but then he wanted Stiles in the picture so here he was. It was a really obnoxious circular thought process that left him confused and tired.

"Let's go through those answers one at a time. You want to leave because you believe it will never be safe?"

Derek nodded, Beacon Hills was safe once when he was young and in love. When he had a mother and a father, other brothers and sisters. Now it was nothing more than a final resting place for him and his family.

"You can say anything that you're thinking out loud here, its safe here with me."

"I don't want to say!" he growled.

Marcus held her hands up in surrender, "Okay Derek, moving on—and 'no' because you have Stiles and the new betas?" she asked instead.

He nodded again even as another chink in the armor appeared around his heart. She wasn't pushing everything out right now, she was respecting his right to silence even though her job seemed to be to get him to open up. Then the thought is leaving behind Stiles and the others came back around and his stomach clenched in fear, dragging at his stomach.

"Do you think you are responsible for the others because your uncle turned them and you're an alpha, the last Hale alpha. Is that the 'no' or do you care about them?"

"A little of both," he murmured and rubbed his hands together while his leg jiggled a little. His wolf was starting to feel the small space and the man didn't want to answer the questions and he only knew how to snap, to attack when pushed into a corner, "I'm actually not trying to be difficult here."

Marcus smiled, "I know you are being honest and that's the best I could ask for and receive in a session. Let's talk about something else for a minute, I can see how out of sorts you are becoming and having a shift here in the school would not be the best thing. How is Stiles and Echo taking to each other?"

Derek smiled a little thinking about the new dynamic duo, "It's like they were made for each other. He's calmer; he's here at school and in class and he was texting me and it was a little like the old Stiles that forced me to stay and help. Scott came over last night because Stiles texted him and the others about Echo. He was posturing, Scott wouldn't play fetch with Echo and I know that hurt Stiles but he stood up for himself and me. Scott is afraid he's lost his best friend and I cannot make him see that together we would all be stronger. I need them to be stronger, it's the only way we're going to survive."

"It's not about being stronger, you don't need them for that Derek. I know you think that but some day you are going to have to accept that you are not alone. Now back to Echo and Stiles, what about the others?"

Derek didn't mind the redirect after everything having a newer happy memory in this town was good, "Allison and Lydia came over to meet Echo and check on Stiles. We all had dinner together and watched the extended version of the Lord of the Rings on the floor in the living room. Even Stiles's dad was there. It was like," Derek hard stopped and swallowed around the choked feeling in his chest and throat. He rubbed his neck and continued, "It was a little like my family on movie night."

Marcus leaned forward in her chair and held her hand out, "Can I offer a physical connection of comfort? Just a hand on your knuckles?"

Derek looked down at his hand where it was on his knee and looked back over to the woman and frowned, "Why ask? Why not just do it?"

Marcus smiled and it made her look younger with dimples and kind eyes, backed by actual hurt, "Derek I know what happened to you remember and unlike most people I understand the kind of harm that comes from everyone reaching out and shattering your desire for boundaries because you don't know how to ask for what you need in a healthy way. You can change that but I won't touch you unless you let me and I will never use that to cause harm. I know it's a little different with werewolves because the physical contact is a part of who you are but that can also be used to control you." She sat back and he tried to hold back the sigh of sadness because she wasn't going to touch him, not without his saying what he needed out loud. "When you were in New York, what kind of physical connection did you have with Laura, with other people?"

Derek looked away to ashamed to say. Unfortunately there wasn't a lot to look at in the office. He cleared his throat and looked back, "Laura and I never touched each other again after the fire, not unless we had to. I wouldn't let her. I could feel that part inside me, the wolf part crying out for attention so I went out and found it. I would go to bars and let woman and men touch me but it never went anywhere past a drunken make out session in the bar or a back alley. I didn't want sex but I used them for what I needed. I was starving."

"I'm going to ask again, Derek can I place my hand over your knuckles?"

Derek looked at her; scared she was going to retract again if he said anything but, "Yes."

Marcus leaned forward and Derek watched as her fingers grazed over top of his fingers then his knuckles to rest on top. Her thumb rubbed back and forth gently between his forefinger and thumb and the wolf settled at the connection. He glanced up at her face to find Marcus watching his face, her hand never moved off his hand and he breathed out in a relieved huff. She smiled, "You can ask for what you need on your terms and conditions. You don't have to seek out unhealthy people who undoubtedly smelled like desperation and sex. You are here and you are going to have to teach them to ask for what they need too, in a way that doesn't demand sex. With teenagers it's going to be difficult but you can learn to say what you need and learn what they do. You are the Alpha Derek, not because you killed to obtain the power but because the desire to help was strong enough to take on the mantle. Don't undersell yourself here."

Then she leaned back in her chair and her hand slipped away and Derek didn't feel guilty like all the other times he'd reached out for a connection and only found it because the other person wanted his body.

He was going to have to talk to the others about this.

"Good, I can see you thinking about this."

Derek nodded, "Are you going to talk to the others? Ask Jackson, Allison and Scott to see you? Even Lydia?"

Marcus nodded, "I am going to work in conjunction with the school as a guidance counselor as a cover that isn't actually a cover as its for real. There is another here, someone who knows about our world and I'm concerned about her influence. I found a place to stay and I am in Beacon Hills for the foreseeable future. You don't have to do this by yourself. I can offer some support to the newly turned, it won't be like I am singling them out as I am going to be speaking to other students as well, there were deaths in the community and students saw that. I am going to be here for anyone affected by the recent supernatural influence. But you and me Derek, this is my first priority. I will be meeting with Stiles and you several times a week. I will also be available on the weekends in case Stiles has other priorities with Echo for the week. We are going to work through some of this old stuff so you can be a good alpha. If that's what you want."

Derek's gaze snapped back to hers again, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, being an Alpha is a choice. If you think someday down the line that you can't or you don't want it anymore, we will find others to support the betas and you can go back to just being a beta. If you choose to stay an alpha, then we will support that decision as well. You have a choice Derek."

The session end with Marcus grasping his shoulder for a moment and sending him out the door, "Guess what Derek?" she asked with a smile.

"What?" he whispered, not knowing how to breathe through the knowledge that he could have a choice in all this. He had choices in this life and it wasn't just about how he would suffer next.

"They are in between classes, I will see you tomorrow. Same time okay?"

Derek nodded and walked out of the office, passing by the lady at the front, giving her a nod before looking out into a sea of teenagers, his eyes widening at the thought of traversing that to the doors. He shuddered and wondered if he could just stand here awkwardly until they were all gone.

"Derek?" someone called and he looked down one of the hallways to see Stiles coming towards him. The werewolf smiled and walked out into the oncoming teens and pushed his way through until he met Stiles and Echo who was getting a wide berth from the other students. She was a sight to see.

"Stiles," he said, wanting to press himself into the teenager's scent, leaving his behind in the process but they were supposed to be keeping things on the down low especially since Stiles was still underage. Stiles grinned and waved him over to another door. He opened it and moved inside and Derek followed, glad for the muting of the noise the door offered. They were in an empty classroom and Echo immediately moved to sniff around. Stiles dropped her leash and nudged Derek away from the small window in the door and his hand moved to grip Derek's wrist.

"Will you," Derek started, thinking about the session and what the Doc asked him to consider doing, "Will you hug me please?"

Stiles grinned, "You bet." Then he was in Derek's arms, Stiles's arms wrapped around Derek's shoulders and his around Stiles's back. He gripped him gently and felt when Stiles turned his head a little and pressed a negligent kiss to the side of Derek's face. He smiled and shoved his nose into Stiles's neck.

They stayed that way for a couple minutes before Echo wandered back over and nudged between them. Stiles chuckled and they both looked down and patted the dog gently. Derek smiled at the big white ears ticking and moving as she listened to their surroundings. It was good to know she was here because he was going to have to leave the school, leave Stiles and the others here without him.

"We should talk tonight after self defense training, yeah?" Stiles asked.

Derek nodded then the bell rang and he flinched.

"Five minute warning," Stiles said with a shrug, "I have a semi pass today since Echo is getting used to the routine so I have just long enough for one more thing."

"Oh?" Derek asked with a smile though he could smell the desire wavering in Stiles's scent, paired with the anticipation and anxiety made him want to tuck the young man into his side and hug him forever.

"Can I kiss you?" Stiles whispered.

Derek nodded, "Yes please."

Stiles pushed forward, all youthful exuberance and pressed his lips to Derek's and smashed their noses in between, Derek chuckled into Stiles's mouth as he tilted his head a little and opened his lips. Stiles wrapped his arms around his shoulders again, one hand gently cupping the back of his neck and Derek groaned contently. He didn't know if Stiles knew what he was doing but instinctually it felt like Stiles was protecting him while they kissed. It pleased the wolf greatly.

Another bell rang and they broke apart. Stiles panted a little before he grabbed Echo's leash and pressed another kiss to Derek's cheek, "See you after school. Bye."

Then Stiles was rushing out of the room, leaving Derek smirking after him before he prepared himself for the hallway of putrid hormones and headed out as well with his shoulders back.

Stiles couldn't tell if everyone was terrified to set him off or get mauled by Echo but everyone was giving him a wide berth and Echo just pranced along and sniffed around. She was on alert most of the day, in each class as she sought out the scents of all the students. He wondered how much of it was normal dog enthusiasm that would later turn into an early warning system.

The really tough part was that apparently Scott was still pouting; he wouldn't walk with Stiles to his classes and barely looked at him all morning. He couldn't help but feel the clench in his chest, like the beginning of a panic attack every time the werewolf looked quickly over him and Echo and they were about to go to lunch where the loss was going to be even more palpable. He rose from his seat when the bell rang and headed for the door, Echo whining when he deflated in sadness because Scott was rushing out ahead of him, pretending they hadn't walked out of this class every day since the beginning of the semester and now—nothing.

Seeing Derek had helped a lot though so Stiles walked out of the class, nodding to his teacher who was giving Echo a strange look which he ignored as he made it to the door only to find the hall guarded by Allison, Lydia and Danny.

"Hey guys, what's up?" he asked in false cheer. Allison scrunched her nose and leaned in close to Stiles, a new sensation for him in public. Allison was usually invading Scott's space, and the other night she was curled up with Derek and Lydia.

"You know, I can smell it and hear it when you are faking it right? Knock it off. We're here to take you and Echo to lunch, we figured we could get our food and then take her outside for a walk around the grounds."

Stiles nodded, his mouth gaping because Allison wasn't going to fall for his crap, she was a good friend and only a couple weeks in she was better at listening to her senses than Scott was and he'd been a werewolf at least twice as long as her.

"You really are a warrior princess," Stiles said, still gaping.

"Close your mouth sweetie, otherwise flies are going to get in," Lydia tutted then led their little posse to the lunchroom and they got into line to get food. They shuffled forward through the line and Echo, despite the close quarters was still calm as toast. He reached out easily and scratched behind her ears as the others chattered around him, he didn't really say anything despite the weird looks he was getting especially when Danny started talking about Marvel versus DC.

Allison wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pressing her head against his cheek, "He's going to get his head out of his ass you know?"

Stiles shrugged and kept moving forward. Danny filled another tray with whatever Stiles indicated while he hugged Allison, "You don't know how stubborn he can be. The silent treatment is the worst, we don't really go days without talking."

Allison sighed and tightened her arm around his shoulder, "We're here Stiles."

They paid for their food, actually Stiles has no idea who paid for his food, then they were walking towards the doors. It wasn't bitingly cold so they could comfortably sit out on the stairs and eat. Stiles fed some of his food to Echo who sniffed it delicately then nibbled it out of his fingers to the cooing sounds of the girls and Danny. Stiles raised his eyebrow at Danny who just shrugged, "I got no shame for thinking that dog is beautiful."

Stiles grinned and scrubbed Echo's neck, making her collar jingle. He checked his watch and noticed they still had about fifteen minutes so he got up and the others followed suit. He looked around and locked eyes on Scott who was staring at them forlornly, like Stiles made him stay away. He smiled at his best friend and waved him over, the others nodding as well but he just turned back to the other lacrosse players that he was sitting with. Not Jackson, because the other beta seemed to have vanished the last couple days. He was still in school, he just wasn't anywhere Lydia could see him or he could see her. Stiles could see some of the other benchwarmers; there was one with dark blonde curly hair and a split lip. Stiles couldn't remember his name but he was watching Scott and Stiles with anxious curiosity. Despite the fact that they all sat on that stupid bench together for so long, Stiles had never had any intention of learning who the others were and now he wasn't even on the team.

Oh well, he was learning what this new 'team' could mean for him.

"Let's talk a quick walk," he said and turned away from his best friend and they walked beyond the field to where the forest picked up and he let her go to the bathroom then walk around for a few minutes before they headed back to the building.

The rest of the day was going fine until chemistry with Mr. Harris and Jackson was in class. He shoved Stiles on his way into the room and Echo growled at the lacrosse captain and he looked down at the dog and lifted his lip but Harris turned at the sound. "If your dog is going to be a problem Mr. Stilinski, you can got to the nurse for this class."

"She's not a problem as long as assholes don't run into me trying to prove they're the best."

"Watch your mouth Stilinski," Harris snapped as the students booed and shouted. Jackson just rolled his eyes and sat down next to Danny who was shoving him and telling him what an asshole he was being. Echo's eyes were trained on Harris in shocking intent and Stiles suddenly did not want to see what his dog looked like when she decided someone was a threat. Then he kind of did want to see and he wanted to aim her right at Harris's ass. Then he took a deep breath and apologized for his cursing and pulled Echo back to where he was sitting right next to Scott. Echo pushed her way between their two seats while Allison and Lydia watched them. Allison gave him a jaunty thumbs-up then class started.

"Should I find somewhere else to sit?" Stiles whispered.

Scott shrugged and Stiles felt the skin on the back of his neck prickle as he snorted in anger.

"You know what, you find somewhere else to sit. I like it here. I get this spot in the break up!" he hissed. This was getting on his last nerve; it was bullshit that Scott was doing this to their friendship.

"Break up! What break up?" Scott whispered back.

"Stilinski! McCall! You really want detention today?"

"No," Stiles responded quickly and tried to listen to what the teacher was yammering on about.

"Do you and Mr. McCall need some space?"

"No sir," Scott said, surprising Stiles enough to settle him down. Class was hitting its midway point when Scott kicked under the table and Echo yipped as the werewolf's foot hit her.

"What the hell man?" Stiles shouted as Echo snapped at the other teen's shoe and Stiles pulled her away so she didn't try to bite him again. He wasn't worried about Scott, but he didn't want Echo to get in trouble.

"That's it Stilinski, go to the office! If your dog is going to cause this much of a disturbance then you can't be here!"

Stiles glared at Scott all the way to the door and stopped as it slammed behind him, leaning down and checking out his dog. Echo was squinting a little on the left side; he'd kicked her in the face. Stiles rubbed his finger along her cheek and under her eye. She shook him off and licked his face so he scratched her head and walked down to the office and sat down to wait and see the principal. He patted Echo on the head slowly for a little while then she settled down and he left her alone. She was sitting on his foot to maintain connection.

"Stiles?" a very recognizable voice asked and he looked up to see Dr. Marcus and smiled.

"Hey, you're still here?"

She nodded and gestured for him to follow, which Stiles did and Echo pranced along happily since she obviously recognized the woman. They stepped into an office and there was the principal, Stiles didn't know him well beyond knowing who he was.

"Mr. Stilinski, Mr. Harris makes it sound like you and your dog are troublemakers. Is this so?"

Stiles shook his head as he sat down in one of the chairs with Echo sitting next to him. Dr. Marcus stood next to the wall. "No, sir. Jackson Whittmore, he shoved me and she warned him then Mr. Harris told us to sit, taking Jackson's side like he frequently does then Scott, the guy I thought was my friend kicked her in the face under the table."

Stiles looked over just in time to watch Dr. Marcus frown in confusion, "Sir, sometimes this can happen especially because Echo is trained to protect Stiles. She is settling in and trying to see what is a threat and what isn't, when she is needed as a protector and when she is needed as a comforting presence. Now as far as the teacher is concerned, I have been looking over the records and there is an interesting amount of focus from Mr. Harris in regards to 'disciplining' young Stiles here and I don't think its going to be better and that's not good for him."

"You want me to side with the student when he cursed at a teacher and called another student a bad name?"

Stiles valiantly did not roll his eyes, "I did curse at Mr. Harris and Jackson and that doesn't help anything. I will apologize to them both. I am here, Echo is here with me so I can get an education and I don't want to leave school. I also don't want someone to think that I am going to not defend her or myself. Scott kicked her in the face when she was laying next to him and I don't understand why."

The principal turned to the counselor; "I need you to speak to the students involved, Jackson Whittmore, Scott McCall and Stiles here. I need to see what they are going to say. Pull them from class; take the space that you need here and ask them what and why."

She nodded and walked out of the office, leaving Stiles and the principal behind. He leaned forward and folded his fingers together in front of him, "Stiles I know that you went through a tough thing and I don't want this to be any harder for you than it has to be but I can't make this school about your recovery and your education. I have other students and teachers. You understand?"

"Of course sir, I wasn't really a priority before all this happened," Stiles said and then before he could stop himself, "Unlike Jackson Whittmore, the leader of your lacrosse team and son of a prominent lawyer who undoubtedly gives a lot of money to the school. I understand that in a fight between my education and his, I know which one you're going to pick. Same as Mr. Harris though I never understood their thing."

"Stiles!" Dr. Marcus snapped as she walked back into the room, "Let's go please."

"Thin ice, Mr. Stilinski," the principal said before Stiles walked out of the room and followed Dr. Marcus into another office and pointed to the chair.

"Well that was interesting," she concluded as he slumped into his chair and pressed his fingers to his eyes in exhaustion. Echo whined and pressed her snout into his lap and he laid his other hand on her head.

"I didn't mean to say it," Stiles stammered.

"Out loud you mean?" Dr. Marcus asked and he looked up to see her smiling. "I know a little bit about you Stiles, you speak your mind but seriously man. We did a lot to make sure you could come to school, is that really what you want if you are saying things like that to the principal?"

Stiles shook his head, "It's just Harris and Jackson, and sometimes I just can't handle the douche parade. I knew they were going to take Jackson's side; it's been like that since we were in elementary school. I always thought it was because of his parents but apparently it's just the money and influence of daddy. I am not important enough to even allow me to have my service dog for a full day before people pick on me and send me to the principal."

"I will speak to both of them, I am concerned about Scott's actions more so than Jackson. Mr. Whittmore is going to be a struggle as he transitions especially since he seems to have decided to be an omega and Scott who is not cruel does something like kick Echo. Its very concerning behavior."

"You don't have to tell me, it's like I don't know who he is anymore."

"Its possible you don't Stiles, you know that as well as I do. You felt it. The change, it's more than shifting under the light of the moon, its going to bring certain things to the surface; predatory instincts and such things. You have aligned yourself with a werewolf pack, a bunch of nascent betas who are essentially going through an identity crisis."

"So did I and I didn't have to kick anyone over it!" Stiles snapped and crossed his arms in frustration as Echo whined. He pressed his foot to her side gently, trying to convey that this was only frustration and there was no reason for her to be on high alert.

"Release her from service, let her settle down with you Stiles. You're safe but you need to have the permission to be upset without upsetting her," the therapist said kindly.

"Echo release," he said in a heave of breath and she looked up at him for a moment before lying down next to the chair and actually wobbling over to the side, looking at ease for the first time since last night. Stiles took a deep breath, trying to reign in the rage, the jealousy and the desire to kick someone else for the unfairness of life.

"Tell me Stiles," she invited gently.

"I—everything changed for me that night too. I know I led Scott into the forest but it was just the start for me too. I met Derek and I opened my eyes to the supernatural. Werewolves and hunters and all that stuff. Kate kidnapped me then in a fit of manipulation Peter took me from her and buried me in the ground under a derelict hole of a house. I fell for Derek and had to open my eyes to the fact that I am not as straight as I always thought, especially with the Lydia Martin of it all. And while that was happening, I was losing my best friend to a girl, popularity and the moon. He tried to kill me a couple times and I never walked away, even though after today I kinda want to."

"After everything that happened, is it worth it to walk away now?"

"You want me to stay? Let Scott keep doing this to me?"

"Stiles, you need to learn to have some boundaries with your friends, with Derek and the others. I can't tell you to be friends with Scott or not, that's not my job but he's strong, he's emotionally hyped and he's upset with you. Maybe you both need a break before he hurts you or Echo."

Stiles rubbed his hands up and down his thighs, "This was going to happen no matter what right? Growing pains and all that? I understand that and I guess I have never had to look at my best friend like this before. It's hard to think that I want to tell him all about being with Derek but he doesn't want to hear it. I was so happy to get Echo with the idea that I would be getting back to an even keel, and he wouldn't even play fetch with her. Derek shifted and bounced around with her and it was like that was disgusting and stupid to my best friend. I came into this world because of him and its like I'm the only one who actually wants to make the best of it."

"I imagine that is probably a fair theory, he had no choice once he was turned, you chose to get involved and learn."

"Because I wanted to be with him, to help protect him!"

"But then it stopped being about him?"

Stiles shrugged, thinking that yeah it did stop being about Scott, it wasn't really about Derek anymore either. It was about all of them having a right to live, it was about his best friend living and accepting who he was. It was about Derek living free of all the crap that he carried around. It was about him, not being stuck because of what Kate and Peter did to him.

"It's about my family. Protecting my dad, protecting my pack. I think I was always going to be this, the supernatural just brought it out faster."

Dr. Marcus nodded, "This is about a fundamental part of who you are. You care for people and you would do anything to see them safe from harm. Its an amazing quality that makes you the son of the sheriff and the human best friend of a werewolf."

"So what am I supposed to do here?" Stiles gestured wildly, annoyed at the lack of help that learning something about him was doing at the moment. Dr. Marcus smiled gently at him.

"You learn what it means, you don't let Scott walk all over you and you make sure that being human doesn't make you a casualty of this war. Werewolf packs have humans in them all the time, they are viable members of the pack but they also learn what their weaknesses and strengths are."

"I have self defense after school, undoubtedly Derek is going to go with me. I'm surprised he's not lurking now."

"How do you know he's not?" Marcus asked with a smile.

Stiles shrugged, "I guess I don't."

There was a knock at the door and she stood, walking around to press a hand to Stiles's shoulder for a moment before she opened it and spoke briefly with someone then invited in Scott and Jackson. Stiles stiffened even though he didn't want to, they were supposed to be pack but both of the werewolves had already showed their sucky sides today. Echo rose to her feet and watched the others as well. Jackson hadn't been introduced and he already caused a problem with Stiles today, so the low level growling wasn't surprising. Dr. Marcus pointed to the other chairs in the room and sat down in front of them again.

"You are lucky we are having this conversation away from the principal since there are issues going on here that have nothing to do with school. Now we should probably start with Scott and why you felt the need to kick Echo?"

Stiles watched his friend; glad to see there was a fair amount of guilt there. Scott scuffed his shoe on the floor and kept his gaze on the floor. Then mumbled something to which Jackson snorted unhelpfully, obviously he had the super hearing.

"What was that? For those of us who are not werewolves?" Dr. Marcus asked and both the boys looked up in surprise.

"This is Dr. Siobhan Marcus, she knows about all that," Stiles said, trying not to sound to smug.

"So again I say, what was that?" Marcus asked.

"I was jealous," Scott snapped. Echo was suddenly on her feet, putting herself between Scott and Stiles, Jackson was already separated from Stiles since Scott took the chair closest to his friend.

Stiles chuckled, "Jealous? Of me? What in God's name for?"

"You're human and you fit into this life better than I do. You're cuddled up next to Allison, letting her snuggle up to Derek. What the hell am I supposed to think?"

Stiles frowned, "That she's Derek's beta and she's my pack sister. She needs to be close to him, we all do and I want that. I want to be close and have a family. This is the family I want and you need to be a part of it otherwise it'll never be what I want. You're my brother."

Scott looked up at Stiles then down at Echo again, "I wanted to be better than you, being a werewolf gave me that and then you went and was better all over again."

Stiles stared slack jawed at the guy he'd been best friends with since the sand box days, the days after his mom died and the days after Scott's dad left then looked over at the doctor, "What am I supposed to do with that?"

"Stiles, I want you to head out, the day is almost over. I need to speak to both Mr. Whittmore and Mr. McCall then I need to have the office call their parents," this was said the chorus of groans but she just kept talking, "And then I am going to see you tomorrow here for your session?"

He nodded and took off, taking a wide circle around Scott and Jackson then pulled the cell phone out of his pocket and texted Derek, _'I need you. Will you go with me to self defense training?'_

He headed for the lockers and grabbed his backpack and headed down the empty halls towards the door. Stiles pushed out and looked up just in time to see Derek move away from the light post he was leaning on and started forward. Stiles gulped, happy to see the man but even happier when all the werewolf did was come forward and envelope Stiles in his arms.

"Hey," Stiles stammered and gripped the back of the man's leather jacket.

"What's going on? You smell awful."

That startled a laugh from Stiles and he leaned back, "Oh good you're still that Derek, the one with no social skills."

Derek rolled his eyes, shaking his head, "Well yeah, I can't really be any other Derek."

Stiles hugged him again then they turned together to start walking towards the jeep, separating after a couple of steps. Echo pranced along, knowing Derek's scent and apparently she knew that Derek would help her in her duty to Stiles. Her body language was a lot calmer when he was around and since Stiles couldn't ask her, all he had was that to go on. Kind of like hanging out with Derek, Stiles thought with a snort. Derek looked back at him with a judging brow then got into the driver's seat.

"Umm since when are you driving my jeep?" Stiles asked and crossed his arms.

"Because I'm going to drive you to the defense class," Derek responded and gestured around to the other side.

"That wasn't an answer genius."

"At least I didn't actually say 'because I said so' but that's what's happening here."

Stiles grinned, enjoying this more than he should be especially because it meant he was losing the argument, "Ok smart ass, but I'm driving home."

Derek shrugged as Stiles went around and opened the door, he motioned for Echo to jump in the back then he jumped in after her, almost face planting into Derek's lap. He grinned, abashed as he righted himself and dumped his pack to the floor in front of him while Derek stared at him smirking.

"Oh shut up," Stiles snarked, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning back.

Derek leaned over and gripped the back of Stiles's neck gently and pulled him forward into a quick kiss then shoved him into his seat though the move was more gentle then it should have been, "Idiot."

Stiles sat breathless for a moment then pulled his seatbelt across, "Yeah but you love me," he finally returned.

"Yeah yeah," Derek replied as he started driving. It was a quiet trip, Stiles making some notes about what Scott said, then what the doctor talked about. He needed to learn his limitations, Stiles needed to know what he could handle in a fight.

"You've mentioned guns before," Derek started after a while.

"Yeah," Stiles said absently.

"Did your dad teach you?"

"Yeah," he said again, "I need to do some more target practice and then maybe even learn beyond that because target practice isn't the same as shooting at a fast moving werewolf. It would be better if we had a good relationship with the Argents, because Allison's dad would teach us the best."

"Why do you need to know how to fight werewolves?" Derek wondered.

"Because I'm guessing that sometimes werewolves really are the aggressors otherwise the hunters wouldn't exist. Peter proved that and besides if I plan to fight werewolves then I can definitely fight humans."

Derek hmphed and said nothing. They made it to the studio where he was going to start his self-defense training and they both walked in through the door with Echo standing with them.


	6. Dr Marcus Meets the Parents

**Chapter Six: Dr. Marcus Meets the Parents**

 **Author's Note: Enjoy! Couple more on the way.**

Scott watched, as the pretty counselor lady looked them over slowly, first Scott slouched in his chair trying to make himself as small as he could them over to Jackson who was staring back.

She'd already left the room and had the office assistant call their parents so its not like saying nothing was going to get them out of here any faster. His mom was going to be so pissed because of his behavior and that she had to leave her shift at the hospital. She's going to be even more pissed when she hears about his behavior towards Stiles. All kidding aside, Stiles was like a second son to his mom, made even more potent by the fact that she was with him when Mrs. Stilinski died in the hospital. Scott was so screwed.

Jackson was still sitting pretty; undoubtedly he was going to get off with a warning, especially since his daddy and mommy gave him everything his little heart could desire except healthy boundaries and limits but that didn't really matter as long as he didn't continue harassing Stiles.

"Well here we are, both of you have been changed by the supernatural and you made it this far but now its time to do some work around it. I will be speaking to your parents about meeting with me on account of what happened to you in the past and then again today. You know a little about werewolves right?"

They both nodded.

"Do you know about the omega?"

Scott frowned though he hadn't heard that word in Stiles's hurried research when he was first changed. Though if he was being honest, he stupidly let his jealousy get in the way of listening to his friend recently. "Isn't it the lowest member of the pack?" Scott guessed, trying to remember all the things that Stiles prattled on about.

"Sort of," Marcus responded, "It is called the lone wolf and because of the world as it is, they rarely survive. Staying with an alpha, it doesn't just give power to the alpha as long as he or she is willing to share it. A good pack keeps each other safe; they gain power from the bonds between them. No matter how strong you could become alone, it is never like being in a pack. It's going to be even worse here because the hunters know about you Scott."

"Well I don't need to be here," Jackson stated and started to get up.

"Sit down Mr. Whittmore." Her tone brooked no argument.

Jackson showed a slight level of possible intelligence as he huffed and resettled in his chair, "You're not going to out us so what are we doing here?"

"You are going to detention if you can't sit down and hear me. I have no problem speaking to the principal about my concerns about you Mr. Whittmore, maybe being on the lacrosse team isn't the best place for your anger issues."

Scott watched as Jackson's eyes glowed in anger for a second and they weren't gold like Scott's but it was gone too quickly for him to be sure. Scott reached over and punched the other teen's arm, "Dude, your eyes!"

"Shut it McCall!"

"Both of you stop it," Dr. Marcus said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Scott, wait outside with your mother, I am going to speak to Mr. Whittmore and his parents first since he cannot seem to control himself long enough to keep from outing himself."

Scott nodded, walking out with the doctor who invited the other parents into the office and sighed when he noticed that his mom was already sitting in the waiting area as well. He slumped, walking over and sitting down in the empty chair next to her.

"What's going on Scott?" she whispered.

He shrugged and tried to ignore the doctor inside the other room who was making Jackson's anger issues sound bad enough that he required an intervention. By her. They were buying it too, especially when she easily displayed her degrees in psychotherapy and work with teenagers but he turned to his mom and grimaced because she had that face, the one that said how disappointed she was in his behavior again.

"I kicked Stiles's service dog," he finally mumbled.

"Scott Gustav McCall!" she hissed and he slouched even more in the chair. He was not getting out of this. "What the heck is going on with you?"

He stayed quiet and listened as Jackson was told he was going to be seeing Dr. Marcus for the foreseeable future and Jackson was demanding that his parents do something about this but they weren't going to get him out of this. They agreed with Dr. Marcus, much to Jackson's exasperation.

"Scott!"

"What?" he asked.

"You kicked a dog, the dog that your best friend had to get because he was kidnapped and assaulted? How could you do that? You saw what Stiles was like when he was in the hospital? You know better than anyone how hurt he was and after he's been there for you every hospital visit and pneumonia, how could you do that?"

Scott shrugged and waited until Jackson came out of the office, sullen and quiet followed by his parents. Then Dr. Marcus was there to wave them in and Scott got up again to walk into the office. He was already late for his shift with Deaton but that was undoubtedly the least of his concerns as he sat down and his mother took the chair next to him.

"Hello, Mrs. McCall. My name is Dr. Siobhan Marcus and I am one of the new counselors here at the school. There was an incident between Scott and his friend Stiles today and I feel it necessary to bring it to your attention and seek out the best way to see that these young men get a chance to work through their issues."

"Dr. Marcus, he said that he kicked Stiles's dog today?"

She nodded and Scott tried to scooch farther away from his mother but she just grabbed his chair and pulled him back. Scott groaned and leaned forward in his seat and looked at the doctor, "My mom knows so if you need to speak freely instead of all the garbage you just fed Jackson's parents then just do it because I don't have all the time in the world to pretend here. I'm late for work."

"Scott!" his mom exclaimed and he threw up his hands.

"Mrs. McCall, you know about the recent changes in your son and why?"

Scott watched as his mom nodded to the woman, "He's a werewolf. God I still can't stand saying that word. I don't understand though, why would he do this?"

He watched as the doctor leaned forward, "Your son is going to be different, he's been different because he has instincts that he doesn't understand. He needs to learn what it means to be a wolf and if he doesn't stay with a pack, it's going to be harder especially because he was turned, not born to it. There is no one to teach him control. He was jealous of his best friend for some reason or reasons and in retaliation of that, he kicked the boy's dog. She is doing fine but that kind of outburst can and will get worse if your son doesn't seek some kind of help."

"And can you help him?" she asked, her scent souring for some reason. Scott guessed it was anxiety but he didn't really know, he hadn't been listening to Derek when the Alpha had been talking about his sense of smell and what else it could do.

"I can treat the trauma of how he was turned but I cannot teach him to accept his new situation. I am not a werewolf, I know many of them but I can do nothing for your son in that aspect. I want to help and where I can is to make sure that he can walk through the trauma of being turned against his will and being introduced to violence and death that is sometimes inherent in being a werewolf. And that's going to be necessary for him to go back to class, that he come and see me for at least six weeks, several times a week. This is the compromise instead of some sort of suspension as would be required for the violent outburst. Especially against an animal that is protected and meant to serve as protection herself especially for Stiles who's attacker is still at large. If she had been on duty or even sensing an impending attack she would have retaliated. I imagine the only reason she didn't was because of Stiles, because he trusted your son. I don't want to see him lose that, either of them."

His mom nodded and Scott sighed, "What about work?"

She turned to stare at him incredulously, "You are lucky you are doing anything besides getting locked in your room, you can work out a schedule and speak to Mr. Deaton about it. You will come and speak to Dr. Marcus and you are going to apologize to Stiles for this outburst. He's your best friend! He stood up for you and told me that you weren't a monster and you were still my son. Was he wrong?" She turned to Dr. Marcus, "Was Stiles wrong?"

Scott shook his head emphatically but his mom wasn't looking at him, she was staring at the doctor. Dr. Marcus stood and walked over to his mom and touched her shoulder in comfort, "Your son is still your son but he needs to know how to handle the instincts, the heightened emotions otherwise he won't be able to control the shift. He won't be able to fight back the instincts and the reactions that come part and parcel to a wolf who is alone and defensive."

His mom nodded, "Just tell me how to get my boy back."

After another fifteen minutes of 'talking it out' they left and he headed to work for his shift. Deaton understood, even commiserated with him about the changes that he was struggling with, and agreed to change his schedule to meet with the counselor. He was cleaning the dog cages when the front door opened and closed and he heard and smelled her. Scott walked out front and smiled when he saw Allison waiting, he couldn't help the smile it was just how he responded to her.

"Allison, what are you doing here?" he asked as he sobered, thinking about seeing her with her arms draped around Stiles as they walked out into the woods behind the school. Thinking about her going over to Stiles's house with Lydia and crashing there for the whole evening, which he knew because he'd been searching for her and she didn't answer at the window. When he went to Stiles's house, he couldn't describe accurately the rage that consumed him; he had to run away and destroyed a tree in the woods. He literally tore it out of the ground, ripping at the roots until it separated under his anger. Then he watched the blood and dirt mix into mud on his hands, more grit than anything but when he cleaned up in the backyard before going inside his house, there hadn't been any wounds to account for the blood. Werewolf healing to the rescue.

One less thing he had to explain to his mom, the dirt and grime was bad enough when she notices his clothes in the bathroom which he'd stupidly left on the floor in there before his shower.

Allison spoke slowly, kindly. She wasn't smiling though, it hurt Scott's heart to have her not smile at him, "I don't think you should be alone, we all know what happened with Stiles."

"Leave it alone Allison, it's between him and me."

Allison shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself, "Its not though."

"I have to get back to work, leave it alone," he snapped.

"Its not like that, the jealousy is unfounded. If you were listening to the instincts, learning what the smells meant then you would understand."

Scott snarled and flashed his eyes, hers flashed in response and she didn't back down which only made him respect her more even if he was still angry with the turn of events. "You have no idea what you're talking about so leave it alone Allison!"

"Is there a problem here?" Deaton asked as he came out from his office. Scott shook his head and took off towards the cat cages, next on his evening to-do list for work while Deaton stayed there looking at Allison. He sharpened his ears, to hear them above the sounds of the animals in house at the moment.

"Miss Argent, how are you doing after everything? The bank vault and that night?"

"I'm doing well, Derek is teaching us about our senses and instincts. Its helping and my parents still don't suspect anything though I think my dad is going to use what happened as a reason to start training me. I heard my mom and dad talking about it, though the hearing can be an issue just as much as a blessing sometimes. I hear things I don't want to hear. Things about what they do to captured werewolves. What Kate was suspected of and my grandfather, I didn't want to know any of it. Oh yeah, not to mention when my parents are having their private time in the bedroom," Scott could hear her shudder.

"You will have to learn from Derek how to maintain you're secret if they do decide to train you. I have known more than a couple hunters in my time and their training methods can be troubling for a nascent werewolf's instincts. You could show your secret so be careful and speak to Derek about it. He's been hiding for a long time."

Allison huffed, "He's not hiding now."

"Ah well that's because your Aunt and your father gave him no choice. Be aware of who they are, they are no longer just the people who you knew."

Allison didn't respond then the door opened and closed so Scott heaved another breath and got back to work.

It wasn't until much later when he was driving to the hospital to pick up his mother that Scott noticed the text message from Stiles.

 _'_ _You ever try and hurt her again, that will be the end of our friendship. And I don't want that in case you're too much of an idiot these days to know.'_

Scott didn't message him back.

The week passed in relative peace after that. Stiles and Derek kept seeing Dr. Marcus at school for sessions, Stiles went to self defense training and the gun range with his dad a couple of times. Stiles knew that Jackson and Scott were seeing Dr. Marcus as well but he hadn't heard anything because Scott was still ignoring him and chilling with Isaac Lahey. That was the curly-haired teen's name. Scott sat with him and the other lacrosse players at lunch and ignores Stiles and Allison and Lydia. Jackson was at school, spending all his time with Danny and hitting on every other girl in their class except Lydia who was handling it as well as she could. Stiles knew from more than a couple long sighs that Lydia actually cared for the pompous jackass and he was supposed to be in their pack but Stiles still didn't know if he could actually care about the guy.

The evenings were spent on homework, watching movies with the pack and training. When everyone else left the Stilinski house, Stiles would go to his room and research the supernatural, he would hack into the sheriff's station to see if anyone had any Kate Argent sightings and normally after about three hours of research, term papers and homework he would collapse into the bed with Derek laying next to him and Echo at his feet.

This was his life and though it was different and he hated that Scott wasn't here with him, he couldn't really complain too much. He had friends, he had a boyfriend and he was still alive. Since getting Echo, Stiles felt more capable of moving on after what happened. Dr. Marcus spent a lot of time telling him that getting strong was only part of healing after trauma but it was the part Stiles couldn't help but focus on with laser intensity. He couldn't change what Kate did to him but he could make sure that she or anyone else would never be able to do it again. He was going to be the one son of a bitch that the hunters didn't screw with anymore.

Friday night came and they refused to let him hide out, instead Derek and Allison went out back and were sparring in the yard while Lydia and Stiles sat on the porch with Echo barking around them. Stiles laughed at her as he painted Lydia's toenails.

"Are we going to watch a movie tonight?" Stiles asked.

"We could go to my house, I have a really big screen in the game room. We could watch as many movies as we want and curl up on the floor together. There is more space and the carpeting is better than here," Lydia said with a sniff.

Stiles nodded but didn't say anything; he liked being home and near his dad. It was another layer of protection even if the Sheriff wasn't home. He put the nail polish down after the second coat and grabbed the topcoat from the table.

"I can't go there, not today."

She nodded and kept working on her fingernails, "Its not a race. I just figured I would offer."

"You could learn too, you know the self defense stuff."

Stiles looked up and watched the epic rolling of her eyes, "I don't think so."

He nodded, not surprised by her answer and besides, Lydia wasn't in danger. She might be a part of this now because she was sticking close to Allison and becoming a part of the pack but so far no one was interested in her. Hopefully they could keep it that way, "Well, if you change your mind, there is always room at the studio."

She nodded and checked out her cuticles while Stiles started on the last coat on her toes. He looked up every once in a while, keeping an eye on Echo as she bounced around, jumping into the fight then quickly back out, trying to get Allison and Derek to pay attention to her. The dog was playing so he wasn't concerned, excitedly yipping as they nudged her or ruffled her hair.

Stiles didn't really believe in fate but when Alia declared that Echo would know and she would end up with the right person, he couldn't help but agree. She continued to be exactly what he needed to feel safe, and she played with Derek and Allison. She fit into this little space in his heart that Stiles hadn't even known was there, waiting for something. He was determined to make sure that she was well cared for, know that she was loved and desired not just for the service she provides but also the love she had already so willingly gave.

"You're going to be okay Stiles," Lydia whispered and he looked back to his friend.

He nodded though his silence had nothing to do with that for once. It was never far from his thoughts though, "Of course I am. They're not going to get me again and if she does, she's going to regret it."

Lydia nodded, "Are you still talking to Dr. Marcus?"

"Of course," he smiled, "You know that, it's only been a couple weeks since I met her. Not even you would get fixed that quickly."

Lydia snorted at that, "Does she think this whole 'be the strong guy' routine is the best thing you can do for yourself?"

Stiles looked up at her. He couldn't stop the defensive sneer in his words, "I don't see how that's any of your business, you've barely been my friend for a couple of months at this point. Before that you didn't really give a shit."

"Well pardon me but you do seem to be missing a best friend right now, I just thought I could help," she sighed dramatically and pulled her feet out of his lap and on the ground. Stiles sighed and capped the nail polish and set it aside before he did something ridiculous like paint his own nails. The repetitive process of application was soothing.

He liked the idea of Lydia being his friend even though he didn't really appreciate the vapid popularity that came with it. Years of being on the outside though and currently Scott's decision to stay away though had him sticking close to her and Allison. He couldn't stand the idea of being alone anywhere but especially school where Scott's behavior was highlighted. And even with Derek, Stiles needed Scott. The guy had always been there for Stiles and now he was nowhere to be found and why? Scott wasn't around because Allison had accepted being a part of Derek's pack and Stiles was somehow 'better' than him and Scott couldn't deal with it.

The thought of Scott's jealous was still a hard pill to swallow as a reason or even a reality. It was ridiculous. Scott was the werewolf with the hot girlfriend though they seemed like they were more off again than on again, he didn't think that would last forever. He could tell they were still stupid for each other. He didn't need a werewolf nose for that. Scott had first line, he was still on the lacrosse team and despite the fact that he wasn't hanging out with Lydia or Jackson, Scott had the popularity he so desperately wanted to have when they started their sophomore year. He'd wanted so badly to be _somebody_ ; he couldn't be _just_ Stiles's best friend and a couple of second stringers who were making it through high school.

He pulled out his cell phone and opened his conversation with Scott, seeing the one he sent about Echo and everything since. He'd been inviting Scott to play video games, watch movies, eat dinner or hang out with or without the pack and after almost a whole week without any sort of feedback from his friend, he didn't know what to think anymore. He knew that his first text after the incident with Echo wasn't the best but he'd been really angry and rightly so. Now though, between the silent treatment in and out of school it was tough to figure if this was just about the Echo thing and the Allison thing or if it had more to do with what he told Stiles that day.

He tapped out a new message, _'I don't know what's going on but we need to talk about this. This silent treatment is for shit and I'm sick of it. I thought we were friends, brothers to the end?'_

Then he went back to watching the others play in the backyard while Lydia sighed every once in a while, as if demanding his attention but he just continued checking his phone and smiling at Echo who was nipping at Derek's heels playfully while the man kept shoving her away with his leg, and despite the fact that it had to be annoying Derek was patient with both Allison and Echo. She was a persistent devil. Stiles whistled at her after awhile and she immediately came over to him and waited for petting before sitting down next to his chair.

"Let Derek finish with his training," he told the dog with a pat on the head. She woofed up at him before settling down to wait for his next command. Stiles gestured for her to lay down and she did, watching the action in the backyard with lazy eyes, Echo knew unless something happened that she was 'off duty' when at the house and with other people. It was only when there were too many people and sounds to track that Stiles still tended towards panic, like at school or in the super market.

"I'm not going to apologize for giving a damn," Lydia sneered after another ignored sigh.

Stiles snorted, "I don't want you to apologize for anything but try and remember that you've been ignoring my existence for a hell of a long time, give me a little time before you start demanding I spill all my secrets. Especially the ones that have nothing to do with me."

Lydia sighed but this time it wasn't the same put upon noise, this time it was more tired, "I guess that's fair."

"Why don't we go inside and watch something in the living room, I can grab all the pillows from the bedroom again," Stiles suggested and Derek and Allison both turned and walked towards them without another word. Apparently sparring was over and they were ready for the pack cuddles. Stiles got up and helped Lydia to her feet while she waddled around to the door, trying not to mess up her toenails. Allison chuckled then easily lifted her friend and bridal carried her inside to the chorus of laughter. Even Derek snorted at the sight. Stiles smiled at them and wrapped a hand around Derek's waist while they walked in behind the girls. Echo pranced around next to them as they headed for the living room and Stiles let Allison and Lydia argue over what they were going to watch while he walked through the house to the office where his dad was sitting behind the table. Echo stayed by his side, walking ahead when she saw the sheriff. His dad smiled and gave Echo some scratches behind the ears and down her back.

"Hey Pop, we're going to set up a movie in the living room. Are you going to watch with us?" It had become a bit of a tradition; if his dad had time he watched movies with them. He'd also been home a lot more even since Stiles was kidnapped. He didn't know how long the Sheriff of the town could get away with it but he appreciated the gesture. Having his dad here made everything feel safer, whether or not that was true didn't seem to matter. Derek described a similar phenomenon when it came to being around pack members so he just shrugged it off as normal.

"I'm going to be heading in to check out the night guys in about an hour but sure. You know what we're watching?"

"The girls are picking so who knows, could be anything. Well anything we have and whatever they may have smuggled in their purses." Lydia frequently had The Notebook with her. They'd only watched it once but then again no one in the pack was sleeping with her so they had a better chance of saying no, unlike the amusing tales of Jackson watching it over and over.

His dad smiled and looked over his son while his hand stayed on Echo's head, "How you doing son?"

Stiles shrugged, "The self defense helps. Having Echo helps. Seeing Dr. Marcus helps. I'm doing the best I can."

"But you're not sleeping well," he stated. He didn't need to ask, he knew his son better than he let on most of the time. Stiles disappearing, being taken like he had been was enough of a wake up call for the other Stilinski, he was sticking around these days. Stiles couldn't really think of any reason to complain. Plus Derek was here and with him whenever the sheriff wasn't. Maybe he would get to a point where their hovering was annoying but he wasn't there yet.

His dad seemed to be waiting for something else so Stiles rubbed his brow and responded, "Yeah—okay so clearly you and Derek talk, no I am not sleeping well. I still have dreams." Stiles paused and took a deep breath, "She's still out there and so is Peter for that matter even though he's contained. For the moment. Sometimes when I sleep, I wake up and expect to be in that coffin or still chained in that dank hole in the ground. Nothing is going to stop that right now, but I'm not going to be weak. Not again."

His dad nodded, though his eyes narrowed at something in his son's voice but it didn't last long before his expression flattened and he waved them off, "I get it son, and we can go to the range again next week when I have time. Why don't you go and find out what they are going to make us watch this time?"

Stiles nodded and snapped his fingers to get Echo's attention. She perked up immediately and followed. He walked back out to the living room where Derek was dragging the pillows and cushions to the floor and Allison was putting in a movie. He caught sight of the case and smiled, "The Avengers? Really?"

Allison turned and winked, "What, Black Widow is a badass and the guys are pretty to look at."

"Especially Thor and Tony," Lydia muttered as she checked her dried nails again. She was lounging in one of the armchairs. Stiles walked over and helped Derek finish with the pillows before he dragged the man down into the nest. The others would join or they wouldn't, for now Stiles curled into Derek's side and sighed. The werewolf rubbed a hand up and down his back in that soothing way that he did so well while the commercials started in the background. Lydia stayed in her chair and Allison just curled up in front of the chair so her shoulder was pressed into Lydia's thighs and her feet outstretched so they were under Derek's side. In some ways it was equally unsurprising and surprising that Allison was the one beta to take to the instincts of being a werewolf.

She was more open to the training of the senses, but as far as Stiles could tell her parents had been training her on the down low to be a hunter for years so she was used to the kind of dedication it would require to use her new abilities. She was also more okay with the closeness, had been the one to easily fall into that with all of them where Scott seemed to have lost his marbles because of the instincts more recently. Stiles remembered in the hospital, Scott laying in the bed with him and soaking up Stiles's closeness and not caring about anything else but now, that acceptance had disappeared in a puff of jealousy.

It was hard to believe that jealousy was the only issue at the moment. There were countless times when Scott would accuse Derek of taking Stiles away from him, then Allison too. Maybe it was a territorial thing but that meant that he did just not understand the core idea that they were all in the same pack. They were supposed to belong to each other. Scott seemed desperate to stand on his own, to keep what he believed was his to take and when it didn't work out he started to get angry. Now he was just distant.

Stiles sighed and Derek pressed an absentminded kiss to his forehead, "You okay?"

"Yeah," he whispered messing with Derek's shirt a little then smoothing it out again to do something with his hands and excess anxiety muddling up his brain, "Just thinking about Scott."

Derek nodded and tightened his arm around Stiles in comfort while Allison started the movie. He fell asleep well before the Avengers became friends and fought off the bad guys, the words muddying in his mind and adding layers of dialogue and sound effects to his dreams.

When he woke up again it was to his bed with his face smashed into the pillow with the warm comfort of two animal bodies at his back. He smiled a little as he rolled over, thinking that he was going to have to get a bigger bed if everyone was going to sleep with him. Echo was down by his feet and Derek in his wolf form was curled up at his back and next to his head. Stiles reached out and ran his finger along the edge of the werewolf's ear, watching it flick in annoyance as Derek's eyes opened and watched him for a minute.

"You're not human."

Derek wolf sniffed and looked down at Echo before looking back in explanation apparently. Stiles looked down as well to see Echo shifting and waking up as well. She would need to go out soon and get something to eat; Stiles figured he had another minute or so.

"I slept," he whispered in awe as he looked outside to see the sun streaming in around the curtain.

Wolf Derek nudged his cheek gently with his snout and Stiles smiled, "Apparently I am still capable of having a good night sleep. Good to know."

With that he kicked off the blankets and climbed out of bed, glad that he'd changed into his flannel pants and a t-shirt well before they started playing outside otherwise he would probably still be in his skinny jeans which were not the best to sleep in. They were far to constricting, Derek was far to concerned about things like permission and his underage body to do more than sleep next to him at this point. Some day, maybe they would get to a point where the werewolf had wholesale permission but it was too soon for either of them and Stiles was in no hurry to change things.

"Echo, you need to go out?"

In general dog fashion, his pet scrambled to her feet and jumped off the bed in a scrabbling ruckus before she rushed out of the bedroom. Stiles grinned at Derek, patting the werewolf's head as he followed the dog. He took Echo outside, noticing that no one else was in the house for the moment, they were all going to end up together sometime later today but for now, the silence was pleasant to begin the day with. He liked taking the time with Echo in the morning, to cement the bond every day not that it was necessary per se but he liked spending time with her all the same. He watched as she walked around the backyard, searching for the best place to go to the bathroom, he would be picking up poop either today or tomorrow. It was one of the jobs he agreed to when they were deciding to get a dog and it was even more important since Derek did a lot of his alpha training in the backyard and they did not need tracked poop inside the house.

For now Echo was bounding back towards the door and he took her to the kitchen and fed her breakfast before turning towards his own. Stiles pulled out eggs and some ham; Derek didn't like anything that smelled close to human flesh when it cooked and Derek's mental well-being was more important than having sausage with his eggs. Bacon was okay but Stiles didn't keep it in the house unless it was turkey bacon because there were less fatty options, even now he could keep himself from caring for his dad's cholesterol and making sure he had something good to eat every once in a while. Though at this point it was more of an amusing habit than anything.

He worked on breakfast, just as he was plating Derek walked downstairs dressed in sweats and a loose t-shirt looking soft and sleepy, a look that Stiles was getting used to seeing more and more. It was still weird though. He came into the kitchen to grab his plate. The werewolf settled at the kitchen table to eat, mumbled thanks before the first bite. Stiles didn't hold it against him; Derek wasn't really a morning person. Neither was Stiles before his first cup of coffee though ever since he was taken off his Adderall, everything was a little more intense and caffeine was a lot more affecting. These days he normally waited for school to drink his first cup so he could use it as a boost for much of the school day.

Since he was thinking about it, Stiles reached for the coffee maker and started it to brew. His dad liked coffee when he woke up so this way there would be some. Then he finished plating his breakfast and some for his dad, covering it and putting it in the microwave.

The sheriff didn't have a shift last night; he'd just gone in to check on the other deputies on shift so he was going to come down at some point. They had pack bonding; self-defense training and gun range with his dad during the weekend to look forward to.

And maybe he would get a chance to talk to his best friend before the full moon on Tuesday.


	7. Another Shape-Shifted Resident

**Chapter Seven: Another Shape-Shifted Resident**

Allison watched at her father's 'undercover' hunter trailed her to the gas station and she texted Derek, letting him know that she was about to get taken but it was her father so she wasn't to concerned. She didn't need her cover blown because Derek sensed her fear or anger and he came running after her while she was dealing with her father. They'd spent most of the weekend working on her ability to not flash her eyes, not reveal her abilities just in case her dad decided to capture her as he'd been talking about for the past week, arguing with her mother about it every step of the way. Allison is convinced the only reason they didn't do it over the weekend was because she'd spent most of it with Lydia, Stiles and Derek. Her parents didn't know the Derek part but they were happy she wasn't seeing Scott, though at the moment that was on him rather than her choice. Her mother was on board with this and Allison wasn't even surprised that her mother was even more in agreement about taking down Derek and Scott.

She smiled at him like someone would when they are being polite in public to someone you might recognize. Allison thought his name is Bennett. She continued filling her tank as Allison got a return text asking that she tell him if she needed anything, though Derek's name wasn't designated on his number, actually it was just a number and she immediately deleted the message to have no obvious trail in case her parents got a hold of her phone. All part of her new and improved hiding plan.

When he grabbed her, Allison forced herself to ignore the instincts that were quickly becoming her saving grace. She wanted to fight back or attack, to flick out her claws and slash before he could take her but she forced herself to falter and remain human. She was supposed to be the weak and defenseless Argent Princess, the human Argent Princess. She faked a faint when he covered her mouth with a cloth that was soaked in chloroform though the smell was so strong she almost didn't need to fake it. Even if she did faint, it wouldn't have lasted long anyway, the chemicals would quickly dissipate. As far as Derek told her, electricity was one of their worst issues, along with wolfsbane and silver but not chloroform.

Bennett dragged her into his vehicle; same kind that her father drove around she thought with a roll of her eyes. How was this supposed to be subtle or scary, she would have suspected even if she was human. Though she hoped that someone was going to bring her car to her later, it would be an inconvenience to leave it here with the keys in the ignition, not to mention conspicuous – would make it look like a crime scene. Though she knew the attendant inside had no idea what was happening just outside the glass walls of the station.

Her father's hunter tied her up in the backseat and headed to the old Hale house, she could tell from the direction through town. She had visited out there a couple of times, with Lydia as well as Derek. She needed to know the truth about what her aunt had done and Derek hid nothing. She could tell by his heart and the sadness she smelled from him.

Allison continued to stay slumped over when she was forcibly tied to a chair in the front room and her blindfold was removed for her to see her father tied to a chair in front of her while some tape played in the background. Speaking in an altered voice, "Ever wonder what happens if a hunter gets bitten?" she startled as it continued, "Ever wonder what happens if _you_ get bitten?"

 _Shit Shit Shit!_

It continues again while her father struggled against the binding in the chair. "What do you think your father would do? What do you think he'd _have_ to do? When all it take to change everything, is one bite."

She cried while he broke free and Bennett came around the corner with the phone. The one bite that changed everything had already happened, and it wasn't when Peter bit her in the school; rather it was Scott's bite that changed things for her. She'd already seen that werewolves could be good or bad, just like people. She'd seen that someone she cared about could make mistakes, whether they were human or werewolf.

Her aunt did horrible things to innocent people because they were different. She couldn't help as she cried for her aunt's crazy actions when she thought it was a good option to sexually assault a young boy to kill his family. She cried because her dad hadn't known, had refused to know and her mother was vicious in her hatred of the animals all the while, her daughter had become one of them.

Allison struggled to get the clothe out of her mouth and screamed, "Is this how father-daughter bonding is going to go from now on?"

"No, this is how you are going to be trained."

"Trained?"

"To be a hunter, to stand for what our family has done for hundreds of years, hunted the supernatural. You will begin, get out of the chair and then we shall see the kind of hunter you can be."

"To kill them?" she sneered, she just barely pulled back from a snarl and her fangs were itching to drop but she held it back mostly with how sad she felt. She would always be on the other side of a line from her father and mother, one that they would never pass.

"Yes, if they have killed someone. Its what we do, to protect people. Innocent people," Allison could literally hear the uptick in his heart like Derek taught her. A lie, or at least he didn't truly believe that was the reason for doing what they were doing anymore. Now he just wanted to destroy them, Scott and Derek at least. Thankfully he didn't know about Jackson. It would be easy to figure out that she didn't get out of the school that night unscathed if they learned about Jackson.

"Like all the people who died last semester, you couldn't find the alpha then. You just found the bodies and hunted innocent kids."

"There is no such thing Allison, they are all slaves to their animalistic nature. I remember when I was much younger, before I started in the field on my own; I watched one of my best friends get turned and he was trying to kill me with every last breath. They are never the same again and we have to hunt those who hunt us."

Allison shook her head, the tears still threatening to fall because she knew that could happen especially when a nascent doesn't have an alpha to train them, Derek told her all about the importance of training as did Deaton for that matter. She remembered quite vividly the weird make out session with Jackson that still turned her stomach. Plus it helped to sell the bit for the moment.

"And you decide who deserves to live and die?"

"Who else is going to do it? The wolves don't honor any Code, not like us. The police don't have the facilities to hold such creatures, its up to us."

"And who polices you?" she snarled.

Her father just took a deep breath, "Escape the ropes and then we'll see." And he was gone. Bennett stood by, phone in hand as he started a timer and walked out as well. Allison sniffed in annoyance. How long would it take her if she was still human? She wondered as she wiggled and rubbed her wrists back and forth in the tight ropes binding her to the chair. She flicked out one of her claws and started picking at the threads, trying to weaken the binding subtly. Maybe if no one walked back in here she could just rip her way through but she couldn't take the chance.

It was slow going but about twenty minutes later she ripped her hand out of the binding and grabbed her phone from her pocket, grateful that they hadn't taken that as well as part of the 'kidnapping scenario'. She didn't know if her vehicle was here and though she could hear Bennett outside there was something else, just on the edge of her hearing, a swift sound of movement like a swish-swish sound. She texted Derek where she was and she wouldn't mind some company after this. Hearing her father lie about something, playing judge and jury on people lives, she didn't want to go home and Derek made her feel safe and comforted. She needed him.

Once the text was sent and she received the quick buzz in response, Allison went back to picking at the ropes and she just took her time with it. Thankfully she was wearing long sleeves so any proof of her attempt to escape hopefully wouldn't be put on display for her father and mother. She counted down the minutes until her other hand was loose and her feet were free and headed for the door just as she heard Derek in the dark. It was hard to explain, the knowledge that comes when a beta's alpha is close. All she knew was she never felt anything for Peter, except fear and a special kind of loathing for what the man had done to countless people. She wouldn't mind learning how to kill Peter quick and painfully except that he was the only surviving family member that Derek had.

But when Derek was close, she knew the scent of him and there was a pull at her stomach that made her itch to shift and howl. She needed to let him know she was there, she was safe but she needed him. Instead Allison forced herself to take a deep and calming breath as she walked out, rubbing her wrists for effect and was met with Bennett and his stupid ticking clock. Two hours, she'd held out for two hours.

"Well done," Bennett smirked.

"Whatever, it took me two hours to get out," Allison grumbled.

"It took me three," Bennett returned with a wink and Allison smiled. He didn't seem to think it was weird that she shaved an hour off his time; maybe he figured it was the Argent in her or she had smaller hands and wrists though the ropes had been very tight. Anyway, he just waved her towards her car, which was also parked in front of the house and stepped over to his own vehicle. She got in and drives a couple minutes towards the exit when she heard the scratching swish again. Allison put the car into park and got out and looked back just as a quick flick slashed behind Bennett and he looked over at her in surprise as he stumbled and fell motionless to the ground.

"No! Run!" she screamed as she took off towards the fallen hunter just as something grabbed her around the waist and whipped her off her feet. Allison shifted and started slashing only to realize after blood spilt that it was Derek holding her. He shushed her gently, cradling her head back against his chest as Bennett was lifted with something slithering from the trees above and took him away. She saw a flash of tail and dark scales?

Allison cried out, "No, Derek we can't let him go. What the hell was that thing?"

The thing in question was gone as quickly as it had come, leaving them in the quiet of the forest, with Allison still pressed close to Derek's chest. She pushed away from him, desperate to see if she could see Bennett again. What had the creature done with him?

"Did you see it?" she asked, still straining against Derek's arms.

"Allison, we have to go. Whatever it was, they can't know that we were here and he's gone. Good riddance," Derek snarled and this time Allison did have just enough anger and leverage to push away from him. She snarled at him, her teeth elongating in the flush of adrenaline and rage.

"Good riddance! Because he was human! A hunter? You are just as bad as them!" she snarled and rushed back over to where Bennett had disappeared. She could hear Derek on her heels.

"Allison, we can't stay out here. Stiles is alone and I don't like it."

"He has Echo, something took Bennett and I have to do something. He's a hunter but he doesn't deserve what just happened. I didn't deserve what happened to me and neither does he!"

"And what?" Derek gritted out, "I did."

Allison looked back at him and deflated at the sight of her alpha's devastation and she flopped to the ground and held out her hands, palms up in a bid of supplication. It was more instinct then anything, she didn't plan or think about doing in but Derek came towards her and pressed his fingers to her palm then gripped her hand and pulled her up off the ground.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"No," Derek returned softly as he tugged her close, "You're right. If we are ever going to be more than monsters to your father than we have to care. Let's see if we can find anything."

Allison pressed close to him, her head against his chest and sighing when his palm cupped the back of her neck. The close contact, the hand across her vulnerable place calmed her enough that the shift receded and her heart slowed enough that she could connect with her senses again. She sought out Bennett's scent then calmly pulled away from the embrace and turned towards the trail she was looking for.

"He's still here."

"His scent is still here," Derek corrected gently and Allison nodded, taking the words as a redirection that it was. Derek was doing everything he could to make sure she had a handle on her senses and abilities, to use them to her advantage when she needed them the most. Bennett's scent was different now, and she worried why that was as she shifted again and walked back towards the hunter's vehicle where she saw him fall. Allison used her night vision, seeking the trail of blood and finding only drops. She pointed them out absently and heard from behind her Derek murmuring, "Good, you can do this Allison."

She tilted her head, hearing the drip-drip-drip from above and closed her eyes briefly. She knew why the smell was different, she knew what the lack of a heartbeat meant. She shuddered and turned back to Derek with tears in her eyes, "I can't."

Derek nodded and held his arms open to her and Allison tucked herself back under his arm with a quiet sob fighting its way out of her and they walked quickly back to her car. Derek opened the driver door and invited her to sit down and Allison did even as she attempted to lock down the emotional response to knowing what was left out there of her dad's minion. She was more than capable of driving, though pretending like she didn't know anything about why Bennett might not be reporting in was going to be difficult. She swiped her fingers over her eyes and wiped away the tears that were still tumbling down off her lashes.

Derek walked around and got into the passenger seat even as she took another deep breath and calmed the emotional response. Werewolf training was helping a lot to maintain an emotional equilibrium no matter what was happening. Derek looked over at her and asked, "Are you okay to go home?"

Allison started the car and looked at him, daring him to guess what she really needed right now and he nodded.

"Stiles is waiting for us, I think he's setting up the couch if you need to crash over. He was joking about getting a bigger bed but I think he's actually considering it. And he's most comfortable at home but its not abnormal for a pack to regularly sleep together."

Allison smiled at the attempt at small talk, not Derek's finest feature but appreciated all the same. She shifted the car into drive and looked out the window one last time, seeing a flash of gold in the distance. She wondered if it was Scott but if he was out there, why hadn't he come when she cried out? Why wouldn't he come forward? Did he still believe something was happening between her and Derek or her and Stiles?

It could have also been the thing that got Bennett. She didn't know enough about the supernatural underbelly of Beacon Hills to say for sure either way so she stuck to answering Derek.

"I don't know if I can stay over, if my car was here then they were planning on just sending me home. I could call my dad and tell him I went over to a friend's house but tomorrow is a school day so I guess I can't really sleep over even if I wanted to. Plus, if he figures out why Bennett isn't reporting in, he's just going to assume the worst and come find me. I don't think finding me at Stiles's house with you there is the best way to stay under the radar."

Derek shrugged, "Fair point. Can you stop by and show Stiles that you're all right though. He was seriously considering just chaining us together so he would _have_ to come to the rescue with me. He doesn't like being left behind."

"Yeah, good luck keeping him out of the fire fight, though I am hoping there isn't a fire fight to keep him from, if I am completely honest."

"With a new supernatural creature in town, we can do what we can to leave it to the hunters but if you or Stiles end up being a target then I am not going to stay out of it."

Allison looked over as she drove out of the preserve and towards the Stilinski house, "Why would it be after me? It took Bennett and then left. We barely knew it was there at all."

Derek shrugged, she caught the movement out of the corner of her eye, "We don't know much of anything except it can take and kill a hunter in less than a minute and I don't really want to go up against something like that without a lot more information, though attacking on the full moon might be an indication of what it is."

Allison looked up at the moon through the front window of the car and then back at Derek, "Is it weird that I was able to control the shift on a full moon in such crap circumstances?"

Derek turned to her and shrugged again, "We worked on it a lot Allison, you have an anchor and you were able to control your shift all weekend long which can sometimes be just as bad as the full moon. I had no doubt you could do it. I'm more concerned about Scott and Jackson."

Allison's mind flashed back to those glowing eyes she saw in the distance for a second then shook it off. If it had been Scott, he would have come to her. He always came when she needed him. It couldn't have been him.

"Well we would hear about any weird sightings over the weekend and tomorrow if they weren't able to control it right?"

"Maybe."

"You don't really know, do you?" Allison asked as she turned down the street to the Sheriff's house.

"Maybe," Derek repeated and Allison smiled as they drove up to the house and she pushed the gear into park just as Stiles jerked open her car door, detached her seatbelt and jerked her up close for a hug. Much like it was when Derek hugged her, Allison sank against the lanky chest and smiled. Her nose knew so much more now about Stiles, he was human but she also felt that low tugging in her stomach when she was with him. She wanted to scent mark him, hug him or make sure he was safe because he'd been injured already and sometimes he smelled of fear. The kind of fear that soured the room and clung to his clothes and Allison wanted to make it all go away. So she hugged him back, pressed a kiss to his cheek and moved away to gesture towards herself while Stiles looked her over with his sharp gaze, "As you can see, fit as a fiddle."

He still smelled sour, like fear but it was bigger than that. It was more like terror so Allison squeezed his hand and turned him around to go back inside while Derek shut off the car and followed them.

Stiles sagged into her a little and Allison took his weight easily before she looked over at Derek who was worriedly eyeing his 'boyfriend'. He could smell it too obviously and she wondered if he was seeing Stiles coming out of that grave over and over in his head like she imagined. Whenever Stiles smelled like that, Derek always looked worried but the scent was more like shame and there was another aspect to it but she didn't know enough about chemo signals yet to figure it out. She couldn't ask him because Derek was still pretty closed-mouthed about his past and that night. Except with Stiles.

Once Allison had Stiles inside she directed him to the living room and sat down with him in the center of the couch so Derek could sit on the other side of him. Stiles kept a hold on her hand, "I have some cookies in the oven and I know that sounds super girly and stupid but the dough was in the fridge and I thought I would feel better if I was doing something with my hands."

Now that he mentioned it Allison focused outside of the scents coming from her pack members and scented the cookies in the air. Smelled like chocolate chips, she saw the easy break dough in the fridge a couple days ago though she was surprised by its presence until Stiles told her that he and Scott ate it sometimes when they were binge gaming. It was still in the fridge because Scott hadn't been over.

"Did it help?" Derek asked gently instead of letting the sore subject just sit there between them even unmentioned.

Stiles turned and glared at their alpha, "You should have taken me with you but yes it helped a little." Allison was still amazed that the human never seem to be cowed by the werewolf at all, any of them. When she was huddled in the school wondering why someone would have bit her, Stiles had been figuring this stuff out.

Allison squeezed his hand, "I'll stay," she said hoping it would take some of the fear out of Stiles's scent, "I'll have some of your cookies but you know those packages are going to have some sort of additive to last longer. It's going to taste funny." Another aspect of werewolfhood that Derek didn't really talk about but more because he was born, not turned. He didn't know they tasted weird and there were a lot of foods that Derek just didn't eat because of the 'fake' taste. Allison had to find out the hard way about fast food, though some of it was still good it was just different. Made take out night with her parents interesting when they had pizza a couple weeks ago and she made a face. They thankfully just assumed that she didn't like the pepperoni anymore.

Stiles shrugged, "Well maybe next time I will make it from scratch when I get left behind." The last was said pointedly to Derek who just put a hand over his shoulder and pulled him into a side hug.

"You think I like leaving you alone? I don't. But I am not going to take you somewhere you could be hurt, not if I can help it."

Stiles got up from the couch, shoving away from their grasping hands and whistled sharply, making them both jump and wince as Echo came in from another room. She came over and greeted Allison and Derek before following Stiles into the kitchen where he started puttering around.

Allison turned to Derek, "Is he okay?" she whispered.

The alpha shook his head, "He's worried about Scott, even Jackson, though probably not for the same reasons. When we got the text from you, I didn't know how I was going to get him to stay here and then he started panicking which only got worse when he found out where I was going to meet with you."

"How did you get him to stay?" Allison asked. Stiles wasn't a stay-at-home kind of guy. She heard all about his trip to out Peter as the alpha, getting caught there, which inevitably led to being taken by the psycho wolf. Just because it hadn't been well thought out didn't mean that he wasn't totally courageous for doing it. Allison pretty much figured Stiles was the most badass of them all.

Derek sighed, "I told him that if it came to a fight, he wouldn't be able to help. He could get hurt and we wouldn't be able to get out as quickly."

Allison winced, "Are you in the doghouse for that?"

Derek gave her one of his patented judging looks, the one that was all eyebrows and pinched lips, "A dog joke? Really? It's bad enough that Stiles does them, you are a werewolf. Have some dignity."

Allison giggled, covering her mouth even as she tried to get a hold of herself. She hadn't really considered that it would sound like a dog joke and Derek wasn't really angry, otherwise his response from her giggling wouldn't have been one raised imperious eyebrow, which just caused her to laugh more.

"And no, I'm not in the doghouse, though I imagine Stiles is going to up his training until he can laugh off my reasoning and come anyway."

Allison nodded, wiping her eyes a little as Stiles came back in, "You can whisper about me all you want. I'm going to find out what you're saying."

"I'm sure you are," Derek said, rolling his eyes.

Allison perked up in the couch when she realized that there was a plate in Stiles's hand with a couple of cookies on it. She smiled and bounced a little in her seat as he sat down and handed her the plate with three gooey cookies on it.

"What about me?" Derek pouted.

"You can have some later, Allison has to get going soon. It's a school night and she isn't going to want to press her luck. Right?"

She nodded as she broke off a piece of the cookie and took a bite. There was a slight edge to the taste but it was still so good with her new werewolf sense of taste, she could taste the sugar and flour, how all the ingredients melted and melded together into something different. She moaned around the bite and cuddled into Stiles's side who just slumped over into Derek. She wondered if Derek was going to tell Stiles about the creature that killed Bennett but for now she just focused on eating the rest of the cookies before she had to go home and pretend to be a human girl who did well enough to start training with her father.

"So you didn't tell Stiles about the creature?" Dr. Marcus asked Derek during their session the next day.

The alpha shook his head and tried to fold in on himself. He didn't like not telling Stiles things but after the effort it took to keep the human from following him the night before he didn't see any other way. He didn't want to add to the stress Stiles was already under currently. He also knew that Scott was out there the other night, listening and watching them in his semi classic creepy stalker way. The nascent wolf was too far away for Derek to really capture what he was feeling but the fractured bond in the back of his mind said that Scott was angry, more accurate to call it rage since it was strong enough to resonate in the mostly broken bond. Not a good thing. He was clearly not going to be the kind of alpha Scott could accept so hopefully Dr. Marcus would be able to help the kid.

Then she continued somehow knowing exactly what to say first to really freak him out, "He knows about the hunter's death, the sheriff's station got a call and they picked up the body. He's going to figure it out; it might be best for you to speak with him before it gets any further. We both know that the bond you have with each other is based heavily on mutual respect and trust. Do you want to lose that?"

"No, of course not! I just don't know how to do any of this. I don't know how to be an alpha; I don't know how to bring them together. Stiles was the one who could do that and now he can't either. Jackson is off doing who knows what, Scott is stalking his girlfriend and accusing her of fooling around on him because she's close to Stiles and me. Why did I take the gift of the alpha? I know nothing about teaching them to be together and a pack! Nothing!" he shouted the last word, his voice bouncing off the walls of the room and Dr. Marcus said nothing for a moment, she didn't jump or wince. She didn't smell frightened despite the fact that he was flashing his red alpha eyes at her.

He was on the verge of a shift.

"Derek, I need you to go back to your anchor, allow that to envelope you and remind you that anger isn't strong anymore like it was for you. I'll give you a minute to do that."

He closed his eyes, his fingers digging into the side of his leg and a small part of him wanted to use pain to refocus instead of choosing a different method. He wanted to gouge his nails into his leg, something easy to focus on and what was the harm except that he would have to leave the public high school where Stiles and the others went to school with blood on him.

So instead he thought about Stiles, the times that the human trusted him and shared things with him. He brought out the memory of Stiles in the hospital listening to him about Paige and not turning away from him. Stiles was there, helping him through the lack of trust in himself. Stiles believed he was more than a broken man without a family. That belief was the foundation of change; he chose to believe that if Stiles could see such a thing then it was at least possible because if there was one thing Stiles wasn't; it was stupid. Yes he was willful and young, made bad choices sometimes because of his age and friends but he wasn't an idiot. He wouldn't believe if there was nothing there. Right?

"Okay, good."

He opened his eyes and looked at Dr. Marcus again as she continued, "Now, as I see it, your mother trained your sister and then the fire happened. You never received any training on how to be an alpha, so there is nothing even remotely like failure here. It would be failure if you walked away from Allison and Stiles or the others. Are you planning on do that?"

Derek shook his head.

"Good, then the rest of it is going to be a pattern of what works and what doesn't, over and over again. I have been seeing Jackson and Scott as patients and I cannot tell you what we speak about in those sessions but I can tell you that some of the issues you are seeing from Jackson and Scott have something to do with instincts but the rest of it is dealing with good ole stupid teenage boys. They are not the most adept at making good choices, especially when there are grades, girls and hormones running roughshod all over everything. You will probably face the hard truth someday, hopefully soon, that Stiles is just as annoying because he's younger. I hope for completely healthy reasons that he retains that childishness despite the trauma he has suffered but he might not. You have to remember that they are not going to be like you were at fifteen/sixteen because of what happened to you."

"So what do you suggest?"

"Seek them out individually, maybe consider asking Allison to speak to Scott if she wants to if and when he will let her. From what you have told me he may not be open to anyone talking to him about joining the pack right now, but much like the relationship between Lydia and Allison its not about bringing her into the pack its just about friendship and support. Jackson seems more than happy with being a lone wolf though I am unsure he is capable of hiding his abilities without training. Maybe you can appeal to the desperate need to be the best. It might get him to come around then, bring him into the fold as subtly as possible, or just in a blatant manipulation that allows you to get through that tough exterior he has going on."

"Do you think I can do that? Be a good alpha to them?"

The doctor's eyebrow rose in a similar look to ones he had seen in the mirror before he stopped looking into mirrors—it was a very judging look, "Of course I do Derek but you need to stop expecting that everything is going to be perfect and then blame yourself when its not. You will need to start challenging those thoughts that you have about yourself."

"How?"

She leaned forward a little, "Consider this, hardly ever in life is anything an absolute. Hardly any situation is one person's fault, unless there is trauma and abuse going on then it is not the victim's fault no matter what the abuser says. So consider specifically not being able to talk Scott into being a part of your pack. How does that make you feel?"

"Like a failure," Derek snapped out, hating when she makes him say those kinds of things out loud. He barely knew the words to describe the feelings in the first place.

"And why is it that his choice makes you a failure?"

"Because Stiles is sad without him, because there is something about me in particular that Scott can't handle, maybe its because of the relationship I have with Stiles. Maybe its because my uncle forced the Bite on him. I can't help that I bonded with Stiles and I don't want to end that relationship for Scott, which has put them at odds."

"Derek, that is a secondary issue possibly even a third as well. Let's try to focus on the idea that Scott choosing not to be in the pack makes you feel like a failure."

He growled at her, frustrated that he had to do this or maybe because he couldn't seem to grasp what she was trying to spoon-feed him.

"I understand this is hard, but you are here because your way isn't working and you want something else."

"It just feels dark and hollow when I think about Scott being separated from the pack, because he is an omega and supposed to be my responsibility but also because Stiles needs his friend. I know he misses him, Stiles is digging his heels into all these other things and I need him to be okay. Scott is a part of that."

"Okay, let's try this another way. Your mother was your alpha."

He nodded, frowning at the subject, "My sister was as well, after the fire."

"I would like to stick to your mother for the moment, after the fire there is a whole host of trauma and other things affecting that relationship with your sister and I want to focus on the alpha/beta relationship from before your traumatic event."

"Okay?" he crossed his arms, trying to keep his breathing even but he didn't talk about his family for a reason. Remembering them was hard; it was a painful knot in his throat choking him.

"If your mother asked you to do something and you didn't agree, did you always follow her commands?"

Derek shook his head, shame welling up inside of him as he thought about Paige and listening to Peter about the Bite and everything. His mother had asked him not to see her, to give it a little time before he used words like love and mate. He was still so young and she worried that he was going to make a decision he would later regret. Well he did.

"Did she wallow because of it, how did she respond when you didn't do as she told you?"

"She would speak to me about consequences, I followed Peter around a lot. He was always the rebellious uncle and he was cool. There were consequences and she always discussed them with me, worked logic into it and asked me questions. Then when Paige died she didn't even do that. She just hugged me."

"My guess is that Talia Hale would not have decided her worth based on her pack listening to her commands. From what I knew of her, which was little through the supernatural grapevine, but she was a loving and patient woman. Wasn't she?"

"Yes, she always loved us first, showed us she would always be mother before she was alpha. The tough exterior was for others outside the pack."

"Then you must consider that Scott deciding to stay away does not make you a failure. Consider it at least. Think about the detachment your mother was able to have between herself and you as her beta but she was still able to love you as a mother. You can be Scott's friend, bring him into the fold someday but not today."

"And if he does something and gets caught? Gets killed because I didn't teach him?"

"Because he didn't let you teach him? Derek, you cannot blame yourself for his decision and the consequences he might have to face because of it. Take heart that nothing happened over the full moon with Scott and stay focused on helping the beta that did accept you."

Derek nodded.

"And consider what you would do if you were offered a chance to expand your pack."

The alpha stared at her, "Expand?"

"Did you not consider what it could be like to make your own betas, to adopt others who are looking for help someday?"

Derek shook his head; he couldn't get two of the three betas he 'adopted' to listen to him now, what would be the point of inviting someone else to not listen.

"I can basically hear you shutting me down Derek, please just consider it. Okay? Talk to Stiles about what you and Allison went through the other night; don't let him think that you are going to start hiding things that have to do with the pack when you have already said you were willing to be partners with him. Talk to him about what's happening with Scott and Jackson, even if he says something juvenile and silly, listen to him and consider what I am asking you. Please?"

Derek nodded, they walked out a little while later and Derek walked out of the school secure in the knowledge that he would be seeing Stiles after school but for now he was just going to get out of the cooking pot of hormones. Though part of him wanted to seek out Stiles and Allison to make sure they were okay, even Scott, Jackson and Lydia but there was no point. They were safe here and he didn't belong.

He was almost out of the building when the students let out and he heard the sharp snap of Jackson's voice, could sense his anger as he slammed someone against the lockers. The sound of jangled metal creaking under the pressure of two struggling straining bodies while he spoke, "Tell him I want to see him. This is bullshit! I was supposed to get everything that you have, now I have nothing!"

"Back off Whittmore!" Scott snarled and Derek turned around to seek out where they were, this is exactly what he didn't want to happen and both of them were emotionally volatile.

Derek shoved through the hall full of students and found Scott still hitched up against a bank of lockers when Jackson in front of him, pressing his arm into Scott's throat. Derek looked around but there was no teachers around to stop it from happening, so he walked over to them and whispered quickly, "Come on guys, this is not where you should be doing this."

"What are _you_ doing here?" Scott hissed voice strained against the pressure Jackson was exerting over his throat.

Derek stared at him for a second wondering if Scott was really this slow, "I see Dr. Marcus, remember?"

Scott said nothing as he shoved away from Jackson and walked away, leaving the other two guys there. Jackson turned his glare on Derek and snarled, "Nothing happened on the full moon."

Derek frowned not expecting that, "What?"

"I taped myself, I wanted to see it happening."

"Okay weird and dangerous," Derek responded, thinking of the damage in videotaping the shift. He shuddered.

"Nothing happened!" Jackson shrieked, his voice cracking on a high note. "I was supposed to get everything, be better and stronger! I was attacked and now I have nothing to show for it but a blank video tape and some black shit coming out of my nose."

Derek frowned, "Black what? Coming out of your what?"

"Are you even listening to me? I didn't turn!"

He nodded, holding his hand out in surrender and tried to think, "Okay, we should go and speak to Deaton after school. I have to take Stiles to self-defense training but I can meet you there while he's at his training session. Will you meet me there?" Derek asked, trying to remember what Dr. Marcus had talked about. Jackson needing to be the best, or at least as good as Scott, if he could help Jackson maybe there was a way to bring him in. Maybe this was the best way to bring him in and show him there was more to the pack then power.

Maybe he needed the promise of power first.

Jackson nodded and walked away without another word. Derek shrugged, counting it as a win. He focused on the heartbeats and the voices, wondering if he would be able to pull Stiles's rhythm from the crowd but he got to the front door before he could pinpoint it though he could hear the human's jabbering in the distance. Derek would see him in a couple hours and it sounded like he was doing okay here.

He pulled his phone out and sent a quick message to Stiles before he slides into the Camaro.


	8. Deaton's Opinion

**Chapter Eight: Deaton's Opinion**

Stiles isn't surprised at Derek's text, he normally texts during the day especially when he is coming and going from the high school, though Stiles is uncertain about the need. He liked knowing when Derek was close by, it helped him but it seemed like it was more about Derek letting his pack-mate know he was nearby. It was just another way he tried to take care of Stiles. What did surprise him was the content of the message. He showed it to Allison who read it out loud for him.

"It says ' _I'm meeting with Jackson at Dr. Deaton's clinic during your self-defense session today_ '. Wait. So… Our alpha, brooding Derek, who puts up with no crap is meeting the leader of crap? Why?" she asked.

Stiles chuckled and tugged Allison in for a hug because she was the best. He could totally see the appeal that Scott had. He even sort of understood the tunnel vision Scott had with her, Allison Argent was pretty awesome.

"I guess so," he answered, "I know it bothers him that Jackson isn't being trained. Maybe something happened last night and Jackson is willing to at least listen to Derek?"

Lydia shook her head, "That doesn't sound like Jackson. He would rather go to his grave than ask for help."

Stiles shrugged, "That could happen, you know… if he's found by the hunters and he's not in control. They will kill him."

Lydia looked around, like them talking about him, would produce the douchebag in question. He didn't need werewolf senses to see she was trying to swallow the fear she had for her ex-boyfriend. Allison leaned into her side and hugged Lydia, tugging them all into a loose group hug while Echo trotted next to them. Stiles sent back a quick message before placing his phone back in Echo's little vest; it was one of her duties. She would give him a signal if he had a message, when she felt the vibration of the phone so he wouldn't have another panic attack because of getting a text. And despite the 'no cellphones' rules that were posted all over the school no one seemed to care if he had it.

Perk of being a traumatized teenager maybe?

"Well maybe if Derek is speaking to him, he can make sure that Jackson stays safe. The hunters have been leaving Derek alone, especially since he's living with the Sheriff at the moment," Stiles responded as they walked towards the cafeteria to get some food.

"My dad was pretty pleased with my escape time but he wasn't suspicious about it," Allison chimed in.

"I'm guessing that the death of his hunter is probably on his mind at the moment," Stiles responded, wondering when Derek or Allison was going to spill about that. He guessed that they were there when his dad told him where the body was found and the condition it was in. And considering how upset Allison was the other night, Stiles put two and two together pretty quickly. Derek was being cagey about it too, probably because he didn't think Stiles would handle it well.

Allison just nodded, saying nothing and Stiles shook his head. Everyone was talking about the body in the woods, wondering if the killer from last semester had returned especially with the apparent damage to the body. Most of the town still believed the whole 'mountain lion' theory and Stiles knew his dad was letting it stay that way because well—werewolves wasn't something any of them were going to explain. Plus it couldn't be Peter, he was in Eichen House.

Hopefully.

"Maybe I should go see Deaton too," Stiles said suddenly. Lydia and Allison both turned to stare at him.

"Why?" Allison asked as they stepped into line for food.

"The death is pretty similar to what happened before, maybe we have an 'loner' in town. Or maybe we need to make sure that Peter is still behind bars," he whispered, they were in close quarters and he didn't need to spill any beans around teenagers. It might be time to start carrying his 'werewolf fanfiction' folder around with him again, they could write notes or something.

"Don't you think we would have heard something if he was out?"

Stiles gave Allison a significantly arched brow in return and she shrugged.

"Okay probably not but he wasn't as crazy as everyone thought. He was killing people for a reason, Bennett wasn't here when all that stuff happened with the Hale fire so it's probably not him."

Stiles rolled his eyes at her slip. He didn't understand how her family hadn't found her out yet; she wasn't a very good liar. Derek wasn't going to teach her how to lie very well, Stiles needed to help her, poor girl.

Just to screw with her he asked, "Bennett?"

She stared at him, eyes wide and mouth gaping open and closed for a second then she shook it off, "He was the hunter, I met him. He's the one who took me out to the Hale house and timed my escape."

"And he died while you were out there?" Stiles whispered point blank while they paid and walked towards the back door of the school. Their preferred bench was empty so all three of them sat down while Allison thought if she was going to lie or not then she slumped and answered.

"Derek and I were out there when he was killed, we didn't see what took him but it wasn't Peter. I know that much. I can still feel that bond in the back of my mind despite the pack bond with Derek. I can't wait for it to die," she hissed the last and Stiles patted her shoulder in comfort.

"Derek is not a good enough lying mentor, I will take you under my wing in this area before you blurt out the truth to your parents."

Allison snorted, "You got it, Yoda."

"More like Obi-Wan Kenobi but I appreciate the effort," Stiles returned with a smirk, rubbing her back tenderly.

"Okay," Lydia sighed, "Can we save the rest of this conversation for another time. I want to talk about the best way to make Jackson jealous and come back to me."

"Of course you do," Stiles and Allison replied in unison before bursting out laughing while Lydia snorted while she stared at them with something like pity but also a goodly dose of affection mixed in.

Yeah, it wasn't Scott but it was nice all the same Stiles thought; to have friends.

Derek dropped Stiles and Echo at his self defense lesson and headed for the vet clinic, parking about fifteen minutes later, spotting the Porsche in the lot as well. Jackson was standing just inside the door; arms crossed sullenly when Derek walked through the door and rang the bell that sat on the front desk.

Scott walked out and glared at both of them, "What are you doing here?"

"Here to see your boss, got a sick dog," Derek said with a smirk towards Jackson who just rolled his eyes while Scott left the front entry to get Dr. Deaton presumably.

About thirty seconds passed before Deaton walked out to meet with them with a still sullen Scott following behind him, "Mr. Hale, Mr. Whittmore. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"We have some questions about Jackson's condition," Derek started and the vet waved them back behind the counter then turned to Scott.

"You can join us or you can go and clean out the dog run in the back. It's up to you."

"Actually," Jackson started but Derek just bopped him in the back of the head and the other nascent beta looked at him in livid shock. No time like the present to attempt to remind all of them that he was the alpha. If Scott was willing to come and listen in, Jackson wasn't going to stop him.

Scott waved them off and headed towards the back while Deaton led Jackson and Derek into one of the exam rooms and the vet waited for someone to speak. After a minute Derek turned to Jackson, "Tell him what you have been experiencing. Maybe he knows something."

"I didn't shift on the full moon, I don't remember much. I recorded myself, that's how I know I didn't change. I have also been having this black mucus coming out of my nose and ears. I also noticed some heightened senses but they come and go, it's not constant."

Deaton frowned and waved Jackson over to the table. The beta shoved back up onto the table and the veterinarian started running some straightforward tests though Derek didn't really know what he was doing or looking for. "Have you heard of someone who survived the bite and then didn't shift during a full moon?" Derek asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He'd seen so few turning, because most of his family had been born and his mother married a born wolf as well who was part of a family of born wolves. The only time he'd seen someone reject the bite was Paige and that's not what Jackson was describing. She'd died from the bite, the transition. Jackson was bit two full moons ago already.

It took Deaton another fifteen minutes before he stopped poking and prodding Jackson and turned to Derek to include him in the discussion, "I don't know what the reason would be but it seems as though Jackson is fighting the turn. I think that's why you didn't turn. Something is keeping it from happening."

"So what am I supposed to do? Just keep spitting up black crap forever?" Jackson snarked rudely to Deaton, which reminded Derek of Stiles. He didn't understand how the two boys didn't bond over sarcasm and disdain for other people, though Stiles wasn't popular and Jackson was shallow enough to keep knocking Stiles down instead of seeing him as a possible friend. Now they were pack, if Derek was able to figure out how to bring them together.

"I think it would be good for you to work with Derek, see if you can bring out the wolf through his Alpha status. He has the education of controlling the shift but also the experience of bring out the wolf for the first time."

Derek nodded, remembering the times before he shifted for the first time working with his mother and Laura to get him to let go. He didn't know why Deaton knew that about his childhood but maybe some of the techniques would help Jackson.

Jackson sighed, "Okay, but don't think this makes me a part of your pack."

Derek held his hand up in surrender before they both left the building. He stopped when Deaton started speaking to Scott, "You should be working with him too, you know?"

"No," Scott snapped, snarling at the other man.

"He can teach you a lot, how to control the anger you are feeling right now. Derek is very good at control. You need him and I don't understand your stubbornness."

Derek flushed at the compliment glad they couldn't see him. He could understand why Deaton was a trusted advisor to his mother before the fire though he didn't think the man was completely on the level. He didn't look old enough to be an advisor to his mother fifteen plus years ago. Maybe he was like a werewolf; they didn't age like humans who seemed to wear the stress and age all over their skin.

Jackson shoved out the front door and headed for the Porsche and Derek followed, "So we do pack training usually after Stiles's self defense training. We are going to Lydia's house today. You could come over and we can practice trying to bring the wolf to the surface."

Jackson scoffed, "I am not going over to my ex-girlfriend's house. Not when she is trying to find a way to make me jealous and come back."

Clearly the hearing was good enough to hear at least one private conversation since Derek recognized that from one too many of Lydia's conversations with Allison and Stiles sometimes. Derek nodded, "Fair enough. What about tomorrow after school and practice?"

The jock nodded, "Fine. As long as it's not with Lydia." With that, he opened the door to his car and got in. Derek watched as it drove away, pleased with Jackson's desire to at least try and work with him. He turned back to the clinic, catching sight of Scott staring at him through the front of the building. He gave a little wave before he got into his own car and drove away.

Driving back to the studio where Stiles did his self-defense training didn't take long enough for him to think to hard about the fact that he was going to be seeing Jackson who had issues with the rest of his pack tomorrow for the sake of the teen. His only consolation was that when Jackson was first turned, they all wanted to learn together then Jackson pulled his stunt with Allison in the bank vault and suddenly there was a rift.

His uncle was an idiot—any positives from turning teenagers had to be cut down but the sheer stupidity and hormones they were dragging around with them 24/7 which only intensified after the turn.

Derek parked next to the building and walked in through the front door and caught sight of Echo who was laying in her spot next to the mat, so she had her eyes on Stiles but she wasn't on the mat where they did the training. She shouldn't have been in the building at all but with the vest came a lot of allowances and Stiles was nowhere near calm enough to go anywhere without Echo. She whined at him a little and Derek shushed her gently, knowing that she wanted him to pet her but he tried not to undermine Stiles's control of her when she was 'on-duty'. He watched as Stiles worked with the trainer, they were sparring slowly. Clearly they were moving through a system of moves and Stiles was already proficient but the last couple of times Derek had been sparring with Allison, he'd been working on the moves alone.

Today there was intensity to Stiles that Derek worried about, the other night when he didn't let the human go with him to get Allison he'd made it abundantly clear that it wasn't going to be a working excuse for long.

"Okay Stiles, well done," the instructor said and they bowed out but the teenager was still bouncing around, his arms moving around at his waist in time with his movements.

"Come on, I can go longer, can we extend the session?"

The instructor shook his head, "Mr. Stilinski, we are both aware of your dedication to the classes but I am not willing to push you past your capabilities. We discussed this at the beginning of the session, now I will see you in a couple days. Okay?"

Stiles nodded and walked off the mat, turning to bow off as he'd been taught before he smiled at Derek and snapped his fingers at Echo. She jumped up and came over to Derek to have her head patted as Stiles walked to the changing room. He was currently dressed in sweats, similar to what he wore for gym class.

"Do you want to spar with us this afternoon?" Derek offered, concerned about what the man said but at the same time he didn't want Stiles to work himself over without someone around. Someone who knew how to keep tabs on his body and his emotions.

Stiles shrugged, surprisingly Derek with its neutrality. He decided not to push, instead he sat with Echo until Stiles came back out dressed in his jeans and a t-shirt with a plaid over shirt, despite the makeover from Lydia and Danny; Stiles retained his own lack of style for the most part.

Stiles latched the leash onto Echo's harness and they walked out to the Camaro together and climbed in. Echo settled on the blanket in the back, taking up most of the space with her leggy dimensions and they headed for Lydia's house to meet the others.

"Did you mean it?"

Derek looked over, raising a brow in question.

"You would let me spar with you and Allison?"

He nodded, "If you are willing to listen to me when I call quits. Like the man said, I don't want to see you hurt because we pushed you past your abilities."

"I wish everyone else would stop telling me what I'm capable of!" Stiles snapped, the rise in emotion so sudden that the car wobbled a little as Derek reacts to the anger spike in the tightly packed air.

"Okay," Derek whispered. They drove the rest of the way in silence. Stiles's emotions were simmering though; anger and shame swirled around the cab of the Camaro, making werewolf and dog both antsy to clear the air. When Derek pulled up in front of the Martin residence Stiles threw himself out of the vehicle and patted his leg to bring Echo with him while the alpha shifted into park and followed them to the door. He wanted to question Stiles about his outburst but then Lydia opened the door and invited them in so he wasn't going to get the chance while they were here. They walked down to the den where they've met previously and all the couches had been pushed aside, leaving plenty of space to work out and they didn't have to be outside.

"You're parents home," Derek announced instead of asked.

She shrugged, "My mom is here though I don't know where dad is these days. They've apparently decided that separation is the best decision again." She buffed her nails while saying this and despite the well of old hurt she was feeling, Lydia held it together as per usual. She showed them the food platters that were along the other side of the room and Stiles walked over to investigate. Humming his approval around a handful of chips while Derek greeted Allison with a quick nuzzle to her cheek.

"Are you ready to work up a sweat?" he asked her.

Allison nodded and stripped down to her tank top and leggings with bare feet. Derek removed his coat and started putting her through some routine paces, working on control some more since that was the most important part of her training at the moment. When she had a light sheen of sweat on her forehead and shoulders he started to spar with her.

"So you're going to be seeing Jackson too?" Stiles asked out of nowhere.

"Yes," Derek said as he dodged a wild left hook from his beta. "Possibly tomorrow."

Allison snorted as she attacked again, a kick at his feet then a combination set to put him on the defensive which it did just long enough for her to become cocky then he knocked her back on her ass.

"Don't be cocky," Derek warned.

"Yeah," Allison whined as she struggled back to her feet, "Are you really going to train with him after what he did with me? After what he did to Lydia? Come on."

"What he did with you Allison, is on both of you and the pull of the moon. You are going to have to learn to move beyond that. As for what he did to Lydia, Jackson's control is more important than her feelings." He turned to Lydia who was filing her nails and giving him a look, "Right Lydia?"

"Well we don't really want a repeat performance of 'killer werewolf' on the loose, now do we?" she asked batting her eyes.

"Exactly," Derek said with a belated frown, not sure if she was agreeing with him or making fun of him. It was hard to tell when Lydia was involved; she used sarcasm as a sharpened blade to gut her foes most of the time. He could see the appeal for Stiles, really. He looked over at Stiles who was sitting on the floor next to Echo with his knees pulled to his chest sulking.

"Are you going to come and train, or just be sad about it?" Derek asked as Allison tried to hit him, he heard the quick whoosh of air displacement as she swung and he easily knocked her back again. The beta/hunter growled for the inconvenience as Derek walked away.

Stiles watched while Derek got close enough and reached his hand down towards him but the human just shook his head. He looked over his shoulder to where Lydia helped Allison off the floor, "Keep training Allison. Be there in a minute."

"I don't need you to pander to me Derek, I know you don't think I should push myself either."

"You want to take this conversation somewhere else?" Derek asked gently, reaching out to touch Stiles in comfort.

Stiles just pushed his hand away petulant that people weren't letting him act as rashly as he wanted to, "No I don't need to take this somewhere else Derek, whether its you or Dr. Marcus or my instructor, everyone is so worried about me pushing past what I should do or could do and its bullshit! Do you think that Peter is going to care if he comes back and decides I am the key to controlling you? Do you think that Kate is going to care that I shouldn't be pushed?" Stiles snarled and Derek flinched minutely, he didn't think Stiles realized but Allison was focusing on him now, which didn't help because there was a subtle 'Argent' scent that they both carried and he didn't need to equate his beta with her crazy aunt. He couldn't stop the memories her name brought back; other times and other beds, other words she'd sneered at him.

"I am not going to do anything that would hurt you but I don't plan to pander to you. This wasn't a pity date, Stiles," Derek affirmed, "I asked if you wanted to train because you felt like you could do it. Training against werewolves is going to be different though and I am not going bring on the wrath of your father because you want to get there as quick as you can."

Stiles stared at him for a moment before he nodded and let Derek pull him to his feet. He gestured to Stiles's clothing so the human pulled off his over shirt and grabbed sweats from his bag and quickly changed into them, ignoring how everyone was suddenly staring at his bare legs. Derek was the first to look away, followed by the girls and they went to work on their form.

Most of what Derek considered to be fighting or sparring consisted of using their superior power and claws to push someone else back and take them out, but with Stiles it would require a different kind of fighting. The kind that depended on weapons and using an opponent's strength against them. Derek imagined that currently his beta knew more about alternative methods than he did, Allison would be learning how to fight and kill werewolves while acting the part of human while Stiles was learning to defend himself.

He needed to consider taking classes with Stiles, for all of their sake since he wasn't going to be leaving Beacon Hills he would have to learn to fight for it again.

Training went on for another hour and a half before he called quits so they could eat and head home. The Sheriff was going to be home soon and he expected Stiles to not stay at other people's houses unless his dad knew about it and spoke to the other parent and Lydia's mom wasn't that cool about them staying over. Mostly because she didn't know that they were there.

Lydia waved them off at the front door and Allison gave both of them hugs before she got into her car and took off. Stiles was limping a little from a well placed kick to the shin early but he was grinning madly.

"Do you enjoy pain or something?" Derek joked.

Stiles chuckled, "No, I do enjoy feeling like I got something done. And I do. I think I'm getting better at the self-defense stuff. That can only be good for me."

"Well all I can say is be sure to stretch and ice anything that aches and I'm glad you are going to the range tomorrow with your dad."

"We didn't really finish about Jackson," Stiles said as Echo resettled behind them and Derek started the car to head back to the Stilinski house for the evening.

"You think I shouldn't teach him?" Derek asked.

Stiles snorted, "On the contrary, I think he needs a pack more than any of us. I just also know that he's a tough nut to crack, hasn't cracked much since childhood. Try not to take it personally when he chooses to remain a douche canoe."

"Check," Derek responded, biting down hard on the laugh that wants to escape. He didn't think encouraging the name calling, no matter how amusing it was, is a good idea.

He paid attention to Stiles's silence now, he wasn't angry like he was before the sparring session but he was sad, he stared off out the window and didn't engage with Derek or Echo and he wondered if bringing up Scott was just going to start another argument. Stiles seemed more than willing to throw punches today.

"You can ask, I can feel you wondering over there," Stiles muttered and Derek's gaze sidled over to lock on the human for a moment before going back to the road.

"I'm worried about Scott," Derek started.

"Me too, why are you worried?" Stiles returned and despite the sharp tone, Stiles didn't smell angry or like he didn't believe Derek, just wondering. So much of Stiles was snark and sharp wit, of course being a werewolf; it was much easier to determine when Stiles was really mad. How did humans deal with him? Then again, most humans _didn't_ really deal with Stiles, students and teachers alike. Mostly he'd gotten along with Scott, no wonder the loss of his friend was so painful.

"I'm worried because despite being a werewolf for months now, he seems to be losing his grip on the human part of himself. I don't think he's a danger yet but without Allison or a new anchor, he's been watching us and anger just doesn't cover what he's feeling."

"Maybe I should confront him," Stiles wondered aloud but Derek was already shaking his head. "He's my best friend, Derek, you telling me not to go talk to him?"

"I think you should consider that the more time he spends alone, the less he _is_ your friend. He's becoming omega."

"Then make it stop!" Stiles snapped, his voice reverberating in the small space, "Better yet, let me talk to him, see if I can bring him back to the fold."

"I don't think you can right now but if anyone could do it, it's you."

Stiles nodded and went back to staring out the window.

Derek made a quick decision and turned down the next street and Stiles turned to look at him in confusion as he headed back away from the subdivisions and towards the clinic again. Scott would still be there, just finishing his shift. He pulled into the lot and Stiles was staring at him with one of those little frowns that Derek couldn't help but find endearing.

"You're a good guy Derek Hale." Stiles said and exited the vehicle while Derek sat in the car. Surprisingly, Stiles turned back to Echo and told her, "Stay with Derek, Echo." She resettled on the seat and sighed with a slight whine.

Derek patted her head, "I hear you." He rested his head back on the seat behind him and listened as Stiles walked into the clinic and greeted Deaton.

"Can I speak to Scott?" Stiles asked.

"He's in the back, please?" Deaton responded and Stiles continued further into the clinic. Derek frowned as his movement and words started to muffle and fade out of even his supernatural hearing. Deaton definitely has something going on in that place. He would just have to ask Stiles how it went when he came back out.

"What do you want Stiles?" Scott asked as he walked into the supply room that his friend was working in. Stiles tucked his hands into his pants pockets and wished for a second that he brought Echo in with him. He missed her comforting presence but this had to be about the two of them.

"I just figured that maybe I was taking the backseat to this whole thing a little too long and I figured I could give this one more try."

"Give what one more try?" Scott asked, not turning around to look at him.

"Keeping our friendship alive."

Scott turned and glared at him, "You care?" his eyes flashed gold for a second.

Stiles refused to step backwards even though the lack of control is concerning. He took a deep breath, "Since when did you ever imagine I stopped caring about our friendship?"

"When you picked a dog over me!" Scott snapped.

"That's not very nice Scott, Derek is a werewolf and so are you."

"I'm talking about your dog but speaking of Derek, you've been picking him for weeks now."

"Did I imagine the hospital? You and Derek working together to get me back? You coming to train with Derek? Did I just imagine all of that?"

"No," Scott said as he turned back to his final tasks of the day. Stiles knew more about the guy's routine here in the clinic then he cared to admit but then before Scott had been turned in the woods, their world wasn't filled with insanely fun times.

"I didn't pick Echo over you, I was angry and I sent you that message and it wasn't good but come on man, I've left you homicidal messages on your voicemail before, how is it that this is the end of our friendship? That you think I wouldn't fight to keep you in my life. I want you to be safe, why do you think I went looking for Derek in the first place?"

"Because suddenly you like dick and he was convenient?" Scott snarled and Stiles closed his eyes as his fists bunched in his pocket attempting to shove down the mean rejoinder that was desperate to escape his mouth.

"You can't really have this both ways man," Stiles gritted out, "You can't be jealous of my relationship with Allison and pretend that its because you think I am stealing her from you while declaring that my relationship with Derek is the problem."

Scott spun around and walked over to him fisting Stiles's sweater in his grip and shoving him against the wall next to the door, "You don't need me anymore! You should just get the Bite then you can really be better than me! You can take my girlfriend, you can have your alpha boyfriend and my mother and whatever else is left!" Scott brought him closer; snarling then shoved him back into the wall again, hard. Stiles grunted but didn't bring his hands up to defend himself, just held as still as he could, trying desperately not to make things worse.

"Please let me go Scott," Stiles said evenly.

"You don't get to the be the victim in this!" Scott snapped his teeth together in an audible sound and Stiles glared at his friend.

"Are you kidding right now? Did you forget the ass kicking I received because people thought you were cheating when you were? Did you forget the sexual assault and the being buried alive? I am a victim!" he took a desperate breath while Scott slacked a little and continued, "It doesn't mean that you weren't also hurt but you weren't the only one hurt by what happened with Peter."

Scott shoved him back against the wall again and any breath in his lungs whooshed out under the pressure against his chest. Then before Stiles had a chance to do or say anything, someone was there and pulling them apart from each other. There were several growls coming from different owners and Stiles looked down to see Echo, hackles raised and staring at Scott who was fighting against the hand around his throat, arm belonging to their alpha.

"Keep your hands off him!" Derek snarled.

"You here to keep your bitch safe?" Scott snapped back and Stiles winced when Derek pulled back and punched Scott in the face. The beta's head snapped back and he slumped into Derek's hold unconscious.

Stiles scrubbed his hands over his head as he pressed back against the wall, "I don't understand this." Deaton was standing in the doorway looking between each of them. Derek released Scott who crumpled to the ground in a heap.

"I believe you are seeing a werewolf lose control," Deaton said to them. "It's been a long time since I've seen something like this, I will need to do some research but I think you guys are making it worse. Its possible that the best thing you can do for a little while is let Scott find a balance. Something new."

Stiles shook his head, "He's my best friend. No matter how many stupid things he says."

"Do you want to drive him away?"

Stiles shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest even as Echo pressed into his side. His heart was attempting to hammer out of his chest at the thought of not only leaving the clinic right now but leaving Scott behind for the time being. The last week's sense of loneliness seemed to stretch out in front of him without end. He didn't want to do this without Scott.

"I didn't leave him when his dad left, he didn't give up on me when my mom got sick. I won't give up on him now, even if he's an idiot. Especially when he's an idiot actually."

"It's not about giving up, Mr. Stilinski. It's about giving your friend some space to breathe. Every time you appear with Mr. Hale, it just feeds his delusions. And I do believe his belief about all this is becoming delusional. I'll make sure he gets home okay but you should go."

Stiles nodded, still plastered against the wall until Echo nipped at his pants and Derek walked over to help him out of the clinic. Once they were resettled in the Camaro, Stiles pulled out his cell phone and dialed the fourth number on speed dial and waited to see if she would pick up.

Melissa's cellphone rang a couple of times before she answered, "Stiles? Surprised to hear from you. Are you okay?"

"Not really," he rubbed his hand across the back of his neck in anxiety, "Look I tried to speak to Scott and he didn't handle it well. He said some awful things to me and I know he didn't really mean them but I can't keep trying to force him to talk to me. Could you just, maybe when he wants to hear it, tell him that I'm still here for him?"

"Of course Hun, you know you are always welcome here. Let me know if there is anything I can do."

"Thanks," Stiles said and said goodbye before he hung up and realized they were heading back to his house again. "I guess you were right."

"No, I don't know if I am," Derek responded. "He needs you, Scott's just lost right now. Deaton knows Scott pretty well and he knows the supernatural. Maybe if he has a chance to work through whatever he thinks is happening, logic will resurface. Let's give him a week or something, no texts or talking to him unless necessary. Actual space."

Stiles nodded and they got back to the house and trudged inside, Stiles just wandered upstairs to get ready for bed and start his evening research, focusing on possible issues with losing control and emotional instability in werewolves. There still wasn't a great amount of knowledge out there on the net but he could try. He could hear Derek downstairs talking to his dad, the Sheriff was undoubtedly getting an earful about Scott's behavior but he just couldn't get himself to care anymore tonight. Despite the fact that it made him feel crappy, someone else was going to have to take Echo out, he wasn't going back out there anymore and hopefully his dad and Derek would understand.


	9. Reluctant Werewolf

**Chapter Nine: Reluctant Werewolf**

Derek waited outside the school for Jackson to leave practice since they didn't actually make a plan on where to go. Though Derek was considering taking him to the train depot, it was still there and available. It would make a good place for them to work out as well but Derek hadn't wanted Stiles there mostly because Kate had been there and he couldn't deal. Maybe Jackson would have a preference of where to go.

He watched as the lacrosse students exited the school, Scott was walking with that curly haired boy, he was a little taller than Scott but he was limping and holding himself a little stiffly. Maybe he'd been hurt during practice, Scott didn't even seem like he noticed. Weird, as they got closer Derek could smell the pain on the boy but it wasn't new. It was hard to describe how Derek knew but this hadn't just happened. He hoped that Scott was controlling his power, not hurting his new friend.

Scott looked over, his gaze sliding over where Derek was standing and led the curly haired kid towards his mother's vehicle and unlocked the doors before he walked back to Derek.

"Are you here to check on me? Why aren't you with Stiles?"

Derek sniffed, "Stiles is at self defense training then his dad is taking him to the gun range. I am meeting with Jackson, which won't have anything to do with you. Exactly what you want."

Scott nodded and turned to walk back to his car but Derek just couldn't hold back.

"Your friend?" he asked.

"Isaac?" Scott asked as he turned enough to look at Derek.

"Yeah okay, you're being careful right?"

Scott frowned, "I don't know what you mean."

"He's hurt, limping and holding himself together but just barely."

Scott sneered, "You think I'm hurting him?"

"I think you are staying on the lacrosse field even though you have the equivalent of anger management issues and more strength than you can control. Did you notice that he's hurt?"

"He was like that this morning when he got to school, I don't know who is doing it but it isn't me," Scott snarled, taking a step closer to Derek threateningly.

"He's used to being hurt, you can tell. Did you even notice?"

"Its none of my business and he wouldn't say."

The alpha just held his hands up, "Be careful Scott. Be safe."

Scott left with a huff just as Jackson walked up to Derek, "Scott not playing in your wolf pack either?"

Derek shrugged and looked at the other teenager, "Do you have a preference on where to train?"

Jackson shrugged, "Not my place. I am not bringing home some slacker looking twenty-something-year-old. You have a place, I mean besides the Stilinski residence?"

Derek thought again about the train depot, "Not pretty but it should work just fine."

Jackson gestured them towards the Camaro, "I'll follow you then."

Derek nodded and slipped into his car and started it with a rumble while Jackson got into his car and they took off towards the train depot. It didn't take long to get there, it didn't take long to get anywhere besides certain places in the preserve. He parked in front of the door that he used to use to pull his car inside and the Porsche pulled up next to his vehicle and they both got out. Derek gestured towards the side door and they walked inside and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Did you delete the video?" he asked first.

Jackson scoffed, "No, I gave it to Danny to see if there is something I missed."

Derek slapped his head, "Are you kidding? You can't just give proof that you're a werewolf to anyone you call a buddy!"

Jackson rose a brow, "Then explain to me Lydia and Stiles."

Derek growled threatening and Jackson's eyes widened a little. Finally, someone who took his power seriously even though it was only for a second as he answered, "Stiles was the one who figured everything out and found me, asked me to help Scott. And Lydia just ended up in all the wrong places. She was too smart to hide this from, besides bringing her in wasn't my first choice but she helps Allison a lot. Having her friend there."

"Well Danny is my best friend and he's really smart, you think he doesn't know about the kind of weird stuff that happens in this town. Plus, and I don't know why I have to repeat myself but _nothing happened!_ So that's why we're here, remember?"

Derek took a deep breath; this was going to take all his patience to not choke Jackson. It would be really easy to hide the body here in the building somewhere and he could get rid of the Porsche but then he didn't know if he'd told anyone where he was going. Derek would just have to see if he could train Jackson to shift. So instead of imagining the different murder scenarios that would be feasible, he started with the methods his mother started with. There was mediation and deep breathing exercises; there was also the ways that his uncle Peter came up with behind his sister's back. One of them was to fight, no holds barred but Derek didn't want to use that unless he had to.

And Jackson was annoying and a jerk for the first hour and he didn't even pop any claws by the time Derek had to go meet up with Stiles so they called it a day. A big disappointing day.

"This is stupid, this is the best you got?" Jackson snapped as they exited the train depot.

"No, I could also kick your ass. We could try getting you high. There is still plenty of options but I don't think it's going to help if you are trying to keep from turning."

"I'm not!"

"You didn't think anything was going to work and here we are. It's not going to work unless you open up to that part of you that belong to the wolf now."

Jackson jerked on his leather jacket, "You make it sound so Zen and easy! Why did you have such a hard time shifting anyway?"

Derek took a deep breath trying to think of something other than breaking Jackson's neck, "I actually had more trouble controlling the shift but I had a brother who didn't shift until he was much older. I watched them training with him, my mother believed in sharing of information so we all knew as much as we could."

Jackson paused, "You had a brother?"

Derek swallowed convulsively. It had been years since he talked about his other siblings except Laura of course, "I had two brothers, they both died in the fire."

Jackson looked away and down to the ground. Derek didn't know what to expect, Jackson was rarely a person-like person so when he spoke it wasn't anything that Derek thought he was going to say, "My parents, they aren't my parents. My parents were killed in a car accident, my mom was pregnant with me and I never met them."

Derek reached out, wanting to share comfort with his beta but didn't know if it would be accepted at this point, leaving his hand out a little he just nodded, "I know all about loss. Sorry to hear about your parents. The Whittmores?"

"Adopted me, couldn't have their own kids."

Derek nodded and his hand dropped away just as Jackson shook off the maudlin and looked over, "So you planning to kick my ass then?"

"Whenever you like, though I have training with Allison tomorrow at Stiles's house. Unless you want to join, then you and I will have to wait for the next day. Its too important for Allison to continue training."

"Because of the Argent hunter thing?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah, the Argent Princess a werewolf. You know what they do to their kind, if a hunter is bit?"

"Guessing it not baking them a cake," Jackson snarked, crossing his arms.

"Good guess," Derek said and then waved Jackson off towards the Porsche. Jackson gave him a nod and tilted his head just a little. Derek ignored the subtle show of submission, Jackson probably didn't know he was doing it so he just got into the Camaro and took off towards the Stilinski house.

The Sheriff was supposed to bring Stiles back to the house after going to the range and before he headed back to the station to check on the night guys, which was becoming a routine. Derek walked into the house, using the key he'd been given in the second week of being here and wandered into the kitchen to start putting together some sandwiches for dinner. He wasn't the best cook, could barely boil water but he could assemble with the best of them and Stiles would be hungry when he got done at the range.

Stiles and Noah arrived in loud rambunctious form, Echo barking at Stiles's side while he egged her on and Noah groaning, demanding that they take it outside. Stiles laughed and Derek watched as he came into the kitchen with that infectious smile on his face and smiled back.

"Hey you made sandwiches?" Stiles asked as he bounced over to him, pressing a quick kiss to the side of Derek's head and grabbed one of the plates. Noah walked over and grabbed one as well.

"Thank you for this Derek, I didn't really have a lot of time before I have to leave."

The alpha flushed a little at the appreciation and grabbed his plate and followed Stiles into the living room. Echo was sitting at Stiles's feet and she panted happily when she saw him. Derek leaned down and rubbed her head companionably before sitting down next to Stiles.

"How was the range?" Derek asked as Stiles chewed on his sandwich.

He nodded and gave quick thumbs up around his sandwich, not willing to give up the food apparently. Stiles swallowed after a few seconds of chewing then answered, "It was good, they are thinking of letting me work on a longer range, something more advanced. Helps that my dad and I have been using guns for most of my life. My aim is getting better; being able to line up the shot still takes work but its better. How was training with Jackson?"

Derek groaned comically, causing Stiles to snort in amusement as planned and he thought about the moment he had at the end about his brother, "He didn't shift at all, something is holding him back but I think with time he's going to shift and I think he'll come to us. You were right."

"Well yeah," Stiles responded immediately, around another bite of food before he swallowed and asked, "Wait, about what?"

"He needs the pack, he needs this more than any of us. He just needs time. Of course, spending time with his ex isn't helping but who knows."

Stiles nodded, "Are we still gathering tomorrow for training after school?"

"Yeah, here I think," Derek responded.

"Okay, is it weird when I miss seeing them for training and movies?" the teen asked after a few bites in silence.

Derek shook his head, "No its not weird, they are your pack-mates and whether you are human or not, you are going to feel it especially because you have been connected to werewolves for a while now. I think you were looking for a pack just as much as you were looking for help for Scott."

The mention of his friend's name caused Stiles to deflate a little and Derek rubbed his fingers down the side of the human's cheek and neck in comfort. Stiles continued eating in silence and Derek followed his lead. He listened as the Sheriff finished in the kitchen and placed his plate in the sink before he walked passed them on the way to his office. Derek watched the man and nodded to him when Noah turned and closed the door.

"How was self defense?" Derek asked.

"Same ole thing, drills and work on overall strength. You know what we really need is to learn to fight from the Argents."

Derek frowned, "I was just thinking that the other day because I don't know what its like to fight without strength and claws but we both know there is no way for us to work with the Argents. Maybe Allison can teach us what she learns?"

"Or we could find someone who is willing to teach us their ways?" Stiles responded with a side-glance.

"If you think you can convince a hunter to work with the humans in a werewolf pack, go for it. I don't think they are that nice, wholesale."

Stiles nodded, "Fair point." Derek chewed on the last bit of his sandwich when Stiles turned towards him and asked quickly, "Were you going to tell me about the hunter?"

Derek choked and coughed, "Stiles! Geez!" he wheezed.

"Sorry," Stiles responded and rubbed Derek's back, smelling genuinely concerned.

"I should have told you," Derek finally returned and shifted so he could take Stiles's hand in between his palms. "I talked about it with Dr. Marcus but I got distracted by Jackson and honestly I didn't really want to own up to the omission."

Stiles nodded, "You didn't want me to get hurt, you thought it was the best thing at the time right?"

Derek took a deep breath, "Yeah. I hate the idea of you being anywhere near the front line. I am hoping that the hunters will take care of it and we won't have to get involved at all."

Stiles reached out and bopped Derek in the back of the head. The alpha growled, mostly in surprise since the thump didn't actually hurt, while Stiles pointed at him with a judgmental eyebrow, "That's for lying to me."

Derek frowned but his face softened as he watched Stiles face attempt not to smile while he was being serious, "Yeah okay."

Stiles resettled against Derek's side and the alpha wrapped an arm around the human's shoulder to hold him close, "Also, you are being fired as Allison's lying trainer. She pretty much flopped at the first sign of contention."

"I never said I was going to help her lie to her pack-mate and friend, just her parents."

"Okay, I guess that's fair," Stiles responded and fell silent. "But still, I am going to help you out there. I have been lying to people for a long time, including parents."

"Yeah, that's why I don't believe him anymore," the Sheriff said as he walked through the living room, ruffling Stiles's hair as he walked by. Stiles flopped a hand out towards his dad ineffectually while Derek smiled at the interplay.

"Are you heading to the station?" Stiles asked as his dad went to grab his jacket from the kitchen.

"Yes, I shouldn't be there past midnight but I expect you to be in bed and attempting to sleep before I get home. Okay Stiles?"

"Yeah yeah, I hear you Dad."

"Derek, is there anything else I need to know about the other night?"

The alpha shook his head, after the body was found, Derek made a point to go to the Sheriff and tell him what he knew about the encounter. The Sheriff knew it was something supernatural but obviously his knowledge ended there for now but as long as he knew there was a better chance of any further deaths, fingers crossed that this was a one time thing, would be kept under wraps. Though he didn't tell the man that Allison was out there or that she'd been 'taken hostage' by said dead hunter because he was attempting to keep Allison out of the middle of everything. She didn't know any more information anyway.

Stiles looked between the two of them then after a second to catch up with what clearly happened punched Derek in the chest before he shoved up off the couch and walked towards the backyard with Echo. Derek sighed, thinking that the Sheriff finding out about his attendance at the murder before he talked it out with Stiles apparently wasn't the right thing to do. Seemed like he was going to make the wrong steps along the way but Stiles didn't smell very angry and he'd learned along the way that if Stiles were really angry he would just be sarcastic and yell. Taking the dog for a walk, he seemed to be just getting some air.

"Try to see that he settles enough to sleep tonight, the training and range might have been too much for one evening," the Sheriff said as he walked towards the front door and Derek nodded before he took the plates to the kitchen and sat down at the island to wait for Stiles to come back in.

Stiles walked back inside and leaned up against Derek at the island, "So I don't need to be protected from the truth. Just tell me okay?"

"Got it," Derek said and rubbed his shoulder into Stiles even as he bit back the automatic argument that Stiles did need to be protected, maybe not from the truth but from everything else. It wouldn't really help.

"What are we going to do with another monster in town?" Stiles asked after a minute of silence.

"We are going to leave it to the hunters, if it is an omega then it's not one of ours and they haven't sought me out. They would have known an alpha was nearby that night and it didn't come to me. Maybe it was drawn here but if they are killing then I wouldn't be able to invite them into the pack, not without putting an even bigger target on our back."

"Do you think it was a werewolf?" Stiles asked as he reached over and took one of Derek's hands and started messing with his fingers and palm, rubbing his knuckles in a soothing distracted way.

Derek thought about the smells that were there that night and shook his head, "I don't think so. It didn't smell like a werewolf. We can sense each other and there was nothing. It was like Bennett had been killed by something that didn't really exist, there was almost no scent beyond blood and death."

Stiles frowned and tightened his fingers around Derek's hand, "Then we leave it to the hunters and continue training."

Derek nodded and by some miracle he was able to convince Stiles to go to sleep without his normal three hours of feverishly typing, searching for baddies and writing papers. Derek knew about the papers that he sold for income and he was pretty sure that the Sheriff knew about it too but that wasn't any of his business. That fell into the realm of 'father business' when it came to Stiles, not alpha or boyfriend business and he liked to keep it that way. When Stiles was settled into bed with Echo at his feet, Derek shifted into his wolf form and jumped up onto the bed. Stiles immediately curled into him and Derek sighed contentedly at the closeness and looked forward to tomorrow when they would have pack time and they could get back to training. He knew that Allison was going to end up in training with her father and the other hunters but for the moment, Daddy Argent seemed to be momentarily distracted from his daughter by the death of his agent so they had a bit of time to focus on her 'hiding the werewolf' and being a better liar, which Stiles was now going to be helping with because he didn't believe that Derek was doing a good enough job.

He drifted off, thinking about the strange warmth in his chest at the thought of getting closer and getting stronger as a pack, something that he didn't think he would ever have another opportunity to experience and now he was helping Allison and Jackson at least.

It was a start.

"You want me to what?" Derek snarled in the small room and Dr. Marcus shushed him. He was meeting with the counselor for his normal session, or what he'd expected was going to be a normal session until she asked him to meet a beta that was alone, didn't have any alpha.

"Derek, you just said that you are getting along with Allison, you even met and had a moment with Jackson. You are doing really well and he needs someone."

The alpha crossed his arms, trying to keep from panicking in the small space that hadn't felt suffocating until five seconds ago.

"Was this a trick? You were waiting for me to say something positive to shove this down my throat?"

Marcus gave him a judging eyebrow that looked a lot like one of Derek's patented looks and he didn't really like it on her, mostly because it was aimed at him. "Now Derek, you know very well that between myself and my other two colleagues, we speak to a lot of people who have been affected by the supernatural. That includes people like Scott, Jackson and Allison who were attacked and turned without consent. And they are not the only ones. You were here for them and though they have only begun to really connect with you, we are talking about a young man who needs someone and is looking for an alpha. He wants to come here and meet you. There are already hushed words in the supernatural community about the last surviving Hale having resumed their territory in Beacon Hills. He wants to be here with you if you choose to accept him into your pack."

"I don't have a pack, why would he want a fresh alpha who has had no training? One who already has a fractured set of obnoxious betas?" Derek snapped, tightening his hands over his arms almost painfully but Dr. Marcus just clicked her tongue and looked down at his hands. It was one of the small cues that he had learned from her in these sessions, recognition of his old behavior coming up. Derek dropped his hands and tried to stay in control without the pain.

"You don't have a fractured pack, you have two betas who are working with you. You have Stiles and Lydia as bonded pack-mates despite their humanness. I think you should meet this young man, if you feel nothing then no harm done, plus he will have to meet the others as well. It would be good for you."

"Why are you asking me to do this? Is there another reason?"

Dr. Marcus looked at him for a moment then sighed, "Have you learned anything about the alpha power, from anyone?"

Derek shook his head, "Who would I ask?"

"Well, I think that you would be good for this beta and he wants to meet you. I also know that a new alpha needs betas to solidify the power, I don't know how you sister kept it for so long without wanting to make werewolves or bond with others."

Derek looked down and away from the woman; it wasn't his secret to tell but there were some things that were starting to make sense about his sister. He didn't know what to think about any of it but it had kept them safe and he'd done things that he hated to stay sane through the years too. He had no right to judge.

"She did something then?" Dr. Marcus questioned.

He nodded but said nothing.

"Is this something that we should take action on right now? Betas out there without an alpha all of a sudden?"

Derek shook his head, refusing to look at her. He couldn't think about the action his sister decided to take without shame and guilt welling up not only because of what she did but also of the promises she forced from him after it happened. She was dead now, he shouldn't have to listen to her anymore but she was his twin sister and he'd loved her. They had been all the other had in the world and she hadn't known any other way. The action that she took hadn't left anyone alone thankfully, it just left them without a mother like Derek and Laura. He forcible shook off the thoughts and spoke quickly.

"I don't want to think about what she did. It wasn't the worst thing or the best thing. We both did what we could and we were wrecked, we both made bad choices. I don't get to judge and I don't think I should tell her secrets. Someday maybe I can talk about it, take some sort of action but not today. I can't open those wounds without all the others ripping open. I'll meet the guy. Set it up with the beta and I will speak to the others about it tonight."

Dr. Marcus looked as neutral as she always did but this time she smelled sad though he didn't really know why she was sad.

"I'm truly sorry for what you have had to suffer, both you and Laura. I didn't mean to pry into something you aren't ready or willing to share. Maybe someday you will be able to talk about it to someone. If it's me then so be it, if not then someone. I will wait to set it up until I see you next time."

"Why?" Derek snarled, "After you pushed me to do it."

"That was not my intention but I can see in retrospect that it would trigger something for you. I didn't know. Please understand that I don't want you to feel forced into this."

Derek shook his head, shifting the anger out of his tight shoulders and aching chest. Thankfully his eyes weren't flashing, his claws weren't emerging or anything. He'd retained control on the shift while he was struggling with his emotional instability, which was a miracle that he wished he had the mental fortitude to experience in real time but it just wasn't there. "You couldn't have known."

"You had already shared with me your unhealthy choices to feed the need to bond with people, to get that fix of closeness, I should have been able to infer that your sister might also have chosen less than ideal methods to contain her werewolf instincts, someone so young as an alpha would have struggled."

Derek nodded, Laura hadn't handled lying low well for the most part. She'd done what she had to do for both of them, to stay under the radar as an alpha, to stay away from the tests that she would fail and have had her stripped of her powers leaving him alone and unprotected. He hadn't thought of the damage she might have wrought as long as he was safe. Her actions undoubtedly had brought hurt to others.

He didn't want to be that kind of alpha.

"No, I want to meet him, this isn't about keeping power, making the pack stronger. It's about doing the right thing for once, even if it does scare the crap out of me."

"I don't think this is the first time you are doing the right thing but I hear you. I will set it up and text you with the details. I would suggest some neutral ground and have it just be the two of you."

"And you?" Derek asked.

"I can be there to facilitate the meeting if you like?" she made it a question.

"I would like that, if it's convenient for you."

'I will make it work," she smiled and they called their session to a close and Derek walked out of the office. He headed towards the front of the office and listened as someone knocked on Dr. Marcus's door before opening it.

"Miss Morrell, I am in the middle of my final notes. Please excuse me," Marcus stated to the dark skinned woman who was the other counselor in the school, she was also a French teacher so clearly the counseling wasn't her day job or at least her only day job. Derek focused on the woman as she spoke, her voice carrying a slight accent.

"What do you think you are doing with the alpha?" she demanded.

"Miss Morrell, kindly remember that this is not necessarily the place for this conversation. If you have problem with the way I see my patients then take it up with the principal. And remember that there are such things as need to know, not to mention patient confidentiality."

Derek walked out of the office and tucked himself around the corner and kept listening as Morrell huffed, "You know he's coming for the alpha. You know that better than anyone. You have seen the carnage he brings."

"And yet you serve him," Marcus responded, still sounding like she wasn't paying attention to Morrell in the exchange.

"Who would you suggest I serve instead?"

"I'm thinking anyone but the Demon Wolf."

The bell rang and Derek hissed in sharp pain as the halls filled with frustrated and loud teenagers and he lost the train of the conversation but pulled out his cell phone to let Stiles know where he was. For some reason after this session, he needed to see Stiles and maybe get a little comfort that the human seemed so spastically good at sometimes.

Stiles rushed up to him in the tucked corner of the hallway where Derek was still standing, attempting to keep from brushing up against any of the various teenagers many of whom thought he was an attractive thing to drool over. It made Derek's skin crawl.

When Stiles came up to him, Derek smiled and reached his hand out to grip Stiles's upper arm in greeting. Echo was staring up at him, waiting her turn to be patted so he did as he spoke, "How's your day?" he continued to pat Echo for another couple of beats.

"Good, you know besides Harris still being a dick about Echo and Scott still maintaining a fifty foot distance between us which is super awkward in class when he kept asking to be reassigned to another chair that was denied multiple times. I felt kind of bad for him but also _'suck it'_ you know?"

Derek chuckled, "I guess. We are meeting tonight at your place after self defense for training and pack bonding right?"

Stiles grinned, "Of course, I am going to convince my dad that we need to watch the extended version of Avatar. You know, the cowboys and Indians where the Indians are blue and like huge."

Derek raised a brow, "I know what the movie is. I haven't been living under a rock."

"Well how should I know, you were on the run and you hadn't seen the Avengers so pardon me."

"Long movie, you need some pack bonding then?" Derek asked, noticing that Stiles usually picked those longer movies or anything in a series where he could cajole and beg for one more hour or episode when he was really feeling lonely or hurt or crazed.

Stiles shrugged, "Maybe I just want to cuddle the shit out of you for that long."

"Sure," Derek said with a nod and left it there. The warning bell rang and Stiles made with the quick goodbye, subtly gripping Derek's hand for a second before he took off for his next class. Derek watched him go, he was pressed up close to the wall of lockers on one side and Echo on the other side of him. The way other students easily moved out of his way seemed to lead him to think that Stiles had been moving like that for a while now. He didn't smell scared but his actions weren't of someone who wholly believed he was safe.

They really needed to find Kate and put her down, and then maybe Stiles would feel safe.

For now though he wondered about the Morrell lady and the 'Demon Wolf' that she supposedly served. Maybe he needed to speak to Deaton or Peter about that, they'd been around long enough to possibly know the reference and if this guy was coming to Beacon Hills he wanted to learn sooner rather than later. They had enough enemies in town already, who needed another?

By the time Stiles and the others were coming in through the Stilinski's front door Derek didn't have any other information about the non-situation that Morrell and Marcus were talking about so he didn't figure anyone needed to know about it just yet. He'd left Deaton a message but the vet hadn't returned his call, then again he wasn't actually Derek's Emissary so it wasn't like he was supposed to answer to Derek. Not that his betas even answered to him so Derek shrugged it off when Stiles and the others started on their homework in the kitchen like any normal day.

Stiles looked tired, Lydia and Allison were jabbering about some new shop at the nearby mall and when they would be able to go shopping again. Derek grabbed some leftovers from the fridge and tucked the container into the microwave and watched it whirl around in a circle, he didn't really like microwaved things but Stiles wouldn't care. He placed the dish in front of his human pack-mate and sat down next to him. Derek rubbed a hand up and down his back while Stiles played with the food in front of him for a second, "Did you just nuke me some food?" he asked randomly.

"Yes?" Derek asked because he didn't know what else to say. The need to care for his betas was an instinctual response, he needed to provide for them but Stiles it seemed carried a slight edge to the desire. Derek wanted the human to be safe and happy, this tired sallow look wasn't good and the alpha hated it.

"Thanks, not really that hungry."

"You look tired, was self defense bad?" Derek asked, still rubbing his back gently.

Stiles flopped his cheek down on his fist and sighed, "No it was fine. I just feel all wonky."

Allison reached out and pressed the back of her hand to Stiles's forehead, "Are you getting sick?"

Stiles shrugged, "I don't feel sick, just not great. I'm sure its nothing. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, extra work outs piled on top of no drugs in my system."

"You haven't been on the drugs for weeks though?" Lydia asked, she didn't really have all the details.

"Since the kidnapping, maybe it's a delayed effect, I was on Adderall for a long time."

"We'll figure it out," Allison said and gripped his hand in comfort just as there was a knock on the door. Stiles groaned but Derek just patted his back and walked over to the door then jerked it open in surprise to see Jackson standing on the porch looking all kinds of annoyed about being there while attempting to hide how desperate he smelled. He wanted to come in, to be acceptable and Derek could almost taste it as he backed up and invited the other beta into the house to the surprised chorus of his name coming from the kitchen.

"We were just eating and doing some homework before we do some training," Allison said as she walked over and invited Jackson to sit among them. The rich kid nodded and allowed her to steer him over and joined them.

They worked on homework for about an hour while an actual dinner baked in the oven, some kind of pot roast that Stiles got ready before they left for school that morning, there were potatoes and carrots all around the huge hunk of meat but Derek knew how much a beta could pack away so hopefully with Jackson there as well, it would be enough.

With the timer set, they all scampered into the backyard and Derek started putting Jackson and Allison through their paces. Derek watched as Stiles wandered around the back yard, using a weird shovel to scoop poop while Echo followed him around the space. Lydia was sitting on the porch in her normal spot with a big blanket wrapped around her shoulders to ward off the evening chill. Allison was doing well with her control so he set her onto attack Jackson, to see if that would get him to shift.

He was actually listening to his instincts, holding his own against the tight offensive strikes Allison delivered but he remained human. When Stiles was done cleaning the backyard he walked over to Jackson and nudged his shoulder, "So you can't get it up huh? Sucks!"

Something flashed in Jackson's eyes as he whipped around to face Stiles, "What was that loser?"

"I said," Stiles over enunciated like he was speaking to an idiotic child, "Can't. Get. It. Up. Huh?"

"Oh boy you are going down!" Jackson snarled and gripped Stiles by the front of his shirt. Echo immediately started growling but Stiles hushed her gently and she took a step back, waiting to see if she was needed. Then he easily broke Jackson's hold, twisting his arm up and tight against the lacrosse captain's back and Derek watched with a surprised waggle of brows and parted mouth.

"Close your mouth, Sourwolf, or you are going to catch flies," Stiles said with a wink as he pushed Jackson away from him.

"I am going to kick your ass!" Jackson shouted as he turned and lunged at Stiles who stepped out of his way, causing the beta to stumble past him.

"Must be tough to know that everything you built in that image of yours could come tumbling down because you couldn't even do what Scott McCall could. He turned on the first full moon." Stiles just kept yammering on as Jackson repeated tried to catch him. Stiles's defensive skills were very good and Jackson wasn't connected to the wolf. Maybe anger would bring it out? Derek wondered as he watched Stiles goad the other beta.

"And what were you doing on the last full moon? Oh yeah, sleeping and doing nothing!" Stiles sneered and Jackson screamed in frustration, the sound shifting mid noise into a guttural growl which shocked Stiles enough that he faltered in his training as he started to give a fist pump and Jackson took him to the ground.

Derek moved quickly and removed Jackson from the human before harm could be inflicted and shouted, "Jackson, your face!"

"Fuck you Derek!" He lisped a little around his fangs then immediately reached up and felt the changes in his face, then got distracted by the claws protruding from his fingers and he turned back to Stiles then to Derek and the girls.

"You did it!" Allison and Stiles shouted happily.

Then in a delightful display of anticlimax, Jackson's face melted back into his human features and Jackson growled, "No. Come back!"

"You did it Jackson, give it time," Derek said as he patted the kid's back in comfort.

"You!" Jackson turned back to Stiles, "You goaded me."

Stiles shrugged, "I figured if I could get some of that old Jackson hates Stilinski spirit, maybe it would loosen you up. Its there Jackson, you can learn to bring it out. Keep working the problem with Derek, he'll get you there."

Derek smiled at his partner, his 'boyfriend' then clapped, bringing their attention back to him and started drilling them again as Stiles patted Echo and they both moved over to the porch to sit down next to Lydia.

They finished training, Jackson popped his claws again after some Lydia goading and they all counted it as a win so Derek had them all sit down in the living room as he paced in front of them for a minute. In true Stiles fashion he was the first to crack, "Just say it Der."

"There is a beta, someone who needs an alpha and would like to meet with me. He is considering joining us and I wanted to talk to you guys about it before I met with him. I already agreed to the meeting but obviously you guys are going to meet the guy and we will have to make the choice together but I need another beta to solidify the power base of alpha. This is preferable to finding someone else to bite or forcing Scott. I need three betas."

Jackson snorted, "Still going to have to find another, I have no interest in being one of your wolf pups."

"Barely a pup," Stiles retorted and Jackson snarled, an animal sound that just made Allison cheer and Stiles grinned, winking at Jackson, not cowed by the act of aggression.

Derek ignored their interplay, "That may be true but I agreed to train you so I wanted to include you in this conversation either way." He watched Jackson as the beta shifted his eyes away. It wasn't submission because Jackson hadn't done much of anything submissive since this thing started but he smelled like want again. His desire was to be included even though he was desperate to stand on his own, maybe that's what Scott was dealing with as well. He wanted to be included on his terms but while he was unwilling to come over Derek didn't have much he could do or say, Jackson on the other hand was giving him valuable Intel on the reluctant beta just by being here.

"So I will meet with the beta, see if there is any reason for you to meet him and then we go from there. Jackson, if you choose not to join us then its up to you. Lydia, its your choice as well. It's all of your choices but I imagine that Stiles and Allison are already willing to go."

"Of course," they both responded in unison. Stiles snorted and Allison giggled, it wasn't the first time they had spoken in unison. It was too bad Scott believed Stiles was somehow a threat to his relationship with Allison because they were acting more like twins or siblings. It reminded him of Laura.

The thought took him back to the session and the thoughts about her but when Allison made a little whimpering noise he shook it off and reached his hand out so she could place her palm against his in gentle companionability. She always seemed to be attuned to his moods but she was handling it well. He seemed to be handling her attachment well. Maybe he wasn't as sucky at this alpha thing as he originally thought and with Stiles by his side to use the 'outside the box' thinking, they did make a pretty great team.

"So, who's up for watching big blue aliens fight the menacing humans and their robotic fighter suits before dispersing to our beds? Pillow nest?" Stiles asked and rubbed his hands together.

"I'm going to head out actually," Jackson stated and no one seemed wiling to argue after he'd been in the same backyard and house as his ex for several hours now which he stated he wouldn't be doing.

"Good job tonight Jackson," Derek said and pressed his hand to the beta's shoulder and felt the infinitesimal movement towards him before Jackson shook him off and left without another word.

They listened in silence as Jackson got into the Porsche and drove away, Stiles grinned as he got off the couch and hugged Derek, "Way to go, Alpha Hale."

He flushed and hid his face in Stiles's neck, waiting for the embarrassment and grief to stop sweeping over him in waves. Then Allison and Lydia both glommed onto the hug as well and they all sputtered and laughed before disentangling. Stiles put in the movie while the others dragged all the pillows and extra blankets to the floor in front of the television. Stiles laid down and Derek pressed in close on one side while Echo curled around their heads, Allison sitting up with her legs over Derek's and her toes tucked under the side of Stiles's thigh with Lydia laying in the comforting gap between Derek and Stiles's lower legs.

And they settled in for the long story of cowboys versus blue aliens.


	10. Lone Wolf

**Chapter Ten: Lone Wolf**

 **Author's Note: Last catching up update, wanted to post this chapter before I left on my vacation. Hopefully now that we are caught up I can stay caught up. Reviews help with that. :D ;)**

Dr. Marcus couldn't get the meeting set up until the next Saturday so the week carried on normally. Jackson started spending time with them in the evenings but still wasn't treating them like friends in school, which somehow Stiles thought was hilarious. They didn't go to the Martin residence in deference to Jackson the few times they were meeting and Jackson only ever shifted when Stiles was being an ass to him.

Something else that Stiles thought was funny which he capitalized on frequently but it was something. Echo was always there next to Stiles, but she was starting to figure out what Stiles smelled like so when he was sparring or training with Jackson. She didn't growl at Jackson as long as he didn't hurt Stiles and due to his training, Jackson was rarely able to put his hands on Stiles.

Sheriff Stilinski continued to look into the murder of the hunter; he spoke to Argent about why the man was out in the woods and to be sure that his other lackeys were careful out there. Argent didn't know what was out there anymore than Derek did and he wasn't in the mood to work with them anyway. Derek wasn't surprised when Noah came back, ranting about idiotic hunters with stupid moral codes that account for killing teenagers and werewolves but not for working with the Sheriff's department. They just let him rant and Stiles patted his shoulder in comfort when he was done.

Friday night passed by with movies and pizza, Stiles shouting at the screen while they watched some teen movie. Jackson was sitting in the kitchen pretending not to be with them though he didn't leave the house and Derek figured after seeing him here only a couple of times that was an incredible win. Lydia was sitting in a chair so she could subtly watch Jackson out of the corner of her eye. Allison was laughing at Stiles and Derek was holding him lightly on the couch with her on the other side of him. They wiled away the night like that and everyone crashed in the living room except Derek and Stiles who went upstairs to his room.

He'd already spoken to Stiles about meeting with the beta. Derek was meeting with Marcus and the beta at ten in the morning and then they would either go their separate ways or he would bring the beta back to the Stilinski house and introduce them to Stiles and the others. Any other decisions would have to wait for another day.

Stiles woke up with him the next morning because he didn't sleep well and was sick of tossing and turning in the bed. They made some breakfast for the betas, all of whom were still there including Jackson though the popular boy already up and looking ready to bolt.

"You don't have to leave," Stiles told Jackson as the others stumbled into the kitchen to grab plates and stack them with waffles and ham.

"I'm not going to be here when you bring the new beta, they don't need to be mobbed and I'm sure my parents will care if I don't come home. I shouldn't have stayed."

"Glad you did," Derek said clearly and the others nodded along, even Allison. Both of the girls forced hugs on him as he grabbed a spare waffle and headed for the door without another word. A minute later the Porsche sped off and Stiles whooped with a fist pump.

"Idiot," Derek said with a chuckle.

"Hey, Mr. 'I'm too cool to need a pack' Jackson Whittmore stayed here for pack night and that, my good Alpha sir, is a good thing," Stiles said and smacked a kiss to the side of Derek's face before continuing, "I doubt we're going to ever see the end of the jackass Jackson routine but that's like we are never going to see the end of Lydia being the Ice Queen thing. Its just who they are."

"Hey, sitting right here," Lydia said, sitting primly in her silk pajama bottoms and tank top looking about as put together as she always looked. If it wasn't for the fact that he saw her sleeping before she walked into the kitchen Derek would accuse her of fluffing her hair and putting on a little blush in the bathroom but she just naturally looked like that.

It was strange, especially for a human.

"Well I am going to leave you guys to it and meet Dr. Marcus, we can go running tonight in the woods if you want? Might help more with loosening up Jackson. Stiles and Lydia can stay here or come out with us?"

"You could carry me," Stiles said and accidently fwapped Derek in the shoulder with a flailing arm. "And Allison could carry Lydia, it would be like a game."

Derek rolled his eyes, squeezed Stiles's hand before he headed out. They were supposed to meet at the high school since it would be empty today, there wouldn't be anyone around and there would be plenty of open space for an alpha and an unclaimed beta to meet. As far as Derek remembered, running into unclaimed betas could be difficult sometimes just because they appear to be a threat against the alpha's pack or they represent unclaimed power to be had but only to an alpha who was capable of bonding with betas that weren't created by him which he seemed to be doing well at. He could already feel that well of power inside him growing as Jackson got a little better at shifting, staying over last night had helped though it might just make Jackson feel uncertain.

For now though, Derek parked the Camaro and walked around to the lacrosse field and scented the air. Dr. Marcus was already here and she was talking gently to someone. Obviously the beta and as he got around the corner and got the first glimpse, Derek took a deep breath to center himself.

The beta was tall and wide across the shoulder, an African American who stood at least a foot over Derek's head. In direct opposition of the figure he cut, the beta's arms were wrapped around his stomach like he was holding himself together as Derek got close enough and greeted them.

"Dr. Marcus, nice to see you again."

"Derek Hale, this is Vernon Boyd."

"Boyd," the guy muttered and Derek nodded with a small smile.

"Nice to meet you Boyd, can I ask you a couple things? You can ask me things as well."

Dr. Marcus gestured to the bleachers and smiled, "Why don't we sit and be comfortable."

Boyd nodded and they all walked over to the bleachers and settled down. Dr. Marcus sat down and Boyd sat down right next to her, smelling like nerves and fear. Though there was this sliver of hopeful excitement there too. Derek settled down next to Boyd but about three feet in between them.

"You know what we are dealing with here in Beacon Hills? We had an alpha who was hurting and killing people and I took his power and his betas. There is still hunters in town and they know who I am so if you start hanging with me, they are going to put two and two together but I will do what I can to protect you if you stay."

"Dr. Marcus prepped me before bringing me here."

"Do you have family?" Derek asked, concerned about why he was coming to a different town to find an alpha.

Boyd looked down and away, "I had a sister, she died when I was younger. When I was turned, my parents called me a monster and tried to kill me. I left."

Derek nodded, "I'm sorry to hear that. Its tough to lose family because of something you can't change."

"Thanks, so I can ask too?"

Derek nodded and waited.

"Dr. Marcus said that you have a human in your pack?"

"Several, though one more than the other."

"And they are okay with what you—we are?"

"Of course," Derek reached out then aborted the attempt to touch the younger man. He didn't have the right to comfort or touch. He put his hand back down, "Stiles, he was the reason I am still in town and I have the alpha power. He's a genius, too smart for his own good in fact. And Lydia was brought in because she found out about the weird happenings with the alpha and she is best friends with one of my betas. Ex-girlfriend of my other, more reluctant beta."

"Are you teaching them to control the shift, so they can be normal? Go to school and stuff?"

Derek frowned, "Are you not in school?"

"No," Boyd shook his head, "I can't control it sometimes especially around a lot of people. I know that I'm this different thing now but I want to finish high school and everything."

"The others are in high school, I can teach you to control it even on the full moon."

At that, Boyd smiled, "And I would have friends?"

"More than that," Derek said with a small smile, "You would have a pack."

"I'm in if you're okay with it," the beta said and waited. He actually held his breath while he waited for Derek to answer so he quickly did.

"Well I would like to introduce you to everyone but I don't see any reason why you shouldn't join us. Just remember that I am a new alpha, so sometimes I don't really know what I'm doing."

Boyd snorted, "I never know what I'm doing these days so I think we're good there."

Dr. Marcus smiled at both of them, "Well Boyd has some things in my car, Derek would you like to take him now and get him settled here in town? You would have to do some figuring to get him back into school but we can discuss that at our next session."

Derek nodded, not taking his eyes off the hulking beta who was making himself look smaller like he was suddenly going to get rejected after all. His family had done a number on him, that's for sure. "I guess it was a good call to drive here then, not that Beacon Hills is so big that we couldn't make it there in a couple minutes but I like my car."

Boyd looked up in semi-veiled interest, "You drive? A car?"

"Yes of course, I have a Camaro. I don't really like to run everywhere I go though its good to stay in shape. Even as a werewolf."

"I clearly have some things to learn," Boyd said with a snort.

"Well, let's get your stuff and you can make with the pack bonding. I think you are going to do well here Boyd, and I will see you both at our sessions sometime this week."

They both nodded and got up, heading for the cars. Boyd only had one duffel bag, but then again when Derek came back here, he'd brought a pack and that was it. Most everything he owned was _still_ in New York at the apartment. He stowed the pack into the trunk of the Camaro and invited Boyd into the passenger seat. He walked around the back of the vehicle and slid into the driver seat and headed back to the Stilinski house, thinking that pretty soon they were going to have to figure out another place to stay. Stiles's home with his father didn't have a lot of spare room for homeless werewolves. Maybe he would have to find a place to stay, for him and Boyd but the idea of leaving Stiles was not appealing in the least.

They made it back to the house and Derek opened the trunk to grab the duffel bag and handed it over to the quiet beta before they walked up to the front door. Derek listened inside, to see who was there and nodded.

"Okay, Stiles and his dad are here. Lydia isn't and neither is Allison. Maybe that's a good thing, you can come into this slowly. We are supposed to be meeting up later to possibly go running in the preserve but they all had to go home."

Boyd nodded.

"You ready?"

"Are you telling me that I am joining a pack and I'm not going to meet with other werewolves?" He asked incredulously.

Derek shrugged and chuckled, "I guess so. I am closer to Stiles than any of them right now though I am getting closer to the others. He's the reason I have a pack."

Boyd nodded, "Then he's important. I would like to meet him."

Derek reached out his hand and pulled open the door just as Echo woofed and he paused, "Stiles has a dog, she's his protector so just stay calm and let her get used to you." When the beta nodded again they walked inside and Echo was there waiting. She saw Derek and wagged her tail, coming over to him and rubbing up against his legs to scent mark him. Derek patted her side. "Echo this is Boyd. Boyd this is Echo."

Boyd looked down at her in quiet contemplation, "Hi Echo," he held out his hand and let her smell him. She sniffed and Boyd looked over at Derek, "Why does he have a dog for protection?"

"Because," Stiles said from the doorway into the kitchen as he walked over to them, "I was kidnapped by a hunter who wanted to hurt the werewolves and control my dad. Then Peter Hale, the alpha that Derek took the power from, buried me alive. Echo helps me function. I'm Stiles Stilinski."

Boyd reached out and shook Stiles's hand, "Boyd. Call me Boyd."

"Come on and meet my dad, he's the Sheriff."

Boyd took a half step back towards the door, fear wafting through his scent and Echo was put on alert, looking around for the threat. Stiles looked over in surprise, as did Derek.

"What is it?" Derek asked.

"Echo," Stiles snapped his fingers and she refocused on her master, moving to stand next to him even as she continued to stare at Boyd.

"Look, maybe this isn't such a good idea," Boyd started, backing up towards the door fumbling to reach for the knob.

"Boyd, what is it?" Derek asked, letting his eyes bleed red for a second to remind Boyd that he was the alpha.

The big beta stopped, "My family blamed me when they found out what I am, they said that I killed someone. They didn't have any proof besides that I was a monster. It was one of the other victims. I can't stay under the radar meeting the Sheriff of a neighboring town."

Derek looked over as the Sheriff walked into the doorway and looked over at them, focusing on Boyd.

"My dad knows about the things that happened here, he knows about werewolves and he could help. He's not going to turn you in for something you didn't do."

"How would you know?" Boyd demanded, "You just met me, how would you know if I did it or not?"

Derek stepped into Boyd's line of sight and pressed a hand to his chest, touching his new beta for the first time and took a deep breath and listened to Boyd's heart as he asked, "Did you do it?"

Boyd looked at him, "No." His heart didn't change, he wasn't sweating or any of the other tell tale signs of lying so Derek turned towards the Sheriff.

"Good enough for me," the alpha stated and the Sheriff shrugged. It wasn't a show for the elder Stilinski anyway, it was so Boyd knew that he would be heard and listened to. Noah waved them all into the kitchen and offered some food.

"Thanks," Boyd said and grabbed a couple of the waffles as they settled around the table. "So how did you get involved with all this?" he asked the Sheriff and Stiles.

Derek settled next to Boyd, close enough to the beta so he could feel the comfort of his presence without touching him. Boyd was a turned werewolf, he might not understand the desire for closeness but he didn't want to leave him without it either.

"My best friend was turned by Peter, I learned as much as I could from the Internet and books then I found out that Derek was a werewolf and asked him a bunch of questions. I stuck my nose where it didn't belong and it got me kidnapped by hunters and alphas but I love my best friend so I wouldn't change the reasons I got here, might not face off against Peter on my own though," he said the last the a self deprecating chuckle.

"The deaths that the alpha orchestrated were all over town, we were trying to figure it out. Stiles told me about werewolves later though I kind of knew a little about them before, just chose not to believe a long time ago."

Boyd nodded, "You don't want to be a werewolf?" he asked Stiles and Derek watched them. He knew why Stiles didn't want to be a werewolf, he knew that it was technically none of Boyd's business but the shame that eked off the other man's scent concerned him. In light of what his family had done, Boyd didn't know if he really accepted himself. Derek would have to remember that as he trained and bonded with him. It was a lot like Scott.

"I watched my best friend be turned and stopped being the person I knew," Stiles shrugged, "Maybe its idiotic for me to run with wolves and not be one but I'm okay being human though some of my favorite people these days are werewolves. Everyone deserves a chance to live, werewolf or human, and that's what I'm here for. To make sure that Derek has the right to live here when he's not hurting other people, which he doesn't."

"Where is this Scott?" Boyd asked, looking around like he'd missed this best friend in his sweep of the house. Stiles looked down to Echo, petting her head as his hurt resurfaced, the conversation with Scott was still in the forefront of his mind and Derek wanted to reach out and press in close to comfort him.

"He's omega," Stiles whispered and walked out of the room. Boyd took a deep breath and looked over at Derek while Echo trotted after her master.

"He's hurt, was that me?" he asked softly.

Derek shook his head, "The thing with Scott has been going badly for a while. Stiles is still hurt, he'll be back just needs a minute."

Boyd nodded and Derek looked over at the Sheriff, "So I don't know what to do here, I need someplace to settle with Boyd and the others at some point but I don't want to keep staying here if that's not what you want."

"You can't leave Stiles," the Sheriff stated and he didn't sound sarcastic or facetious. "There is a guest room as you know, you sleep with Stiles now anyway. Why would you need to change anything right now? You can't do that."

Derek frowned, "I figured you would have wanted me gone sooner rather than later?"

The sheriff shook his head, "I promised you that I would do things differently. I still don't think that you should be having sex with my underage son."

"Um whoa," Boyd cut in and Derek motioned for the Sheriff to continue, ignoring the beta for the moment. This was too important not to talk about right now.

"But that's not what your doing, you are taking care of your own, you are protecting my son and letting him find his own way. So you are going to take Boyd upstairs and show him the guest room. You are going to keep working with the other betas and someday soon when you are ready, you will find a place to live that's not here but not today. Now get going."

Derek nodded and patted Boyd's shoulder and led him to the stairs and headed up to the guest room. Boyd shucked his jacket and dropped the duffle bag on the bed and looked around. He listened for a second and Derek did the same, Stiles was in his room with Echo talking quietly though Derek couldn't tell if he was on the phone or talking to his dog. Stiles did that, would have whole conversations with her sometimes, so did Derek for that matter. She was a part of the family, a part of pack and just because she was a dog didn't mean that she should be treated any different sometimes.

"You're dating Stiles then?" Boyd asked.

Derek shrugged, "Its hard to say. He's my partner, I love him but it's not sexual. It won't be sexual for a long time and we're both okay with that. Boyfriend is a silly term, made up for teenagers who can't help but grab at each other and find meaning in the mess. Stiles is more than that to me, he's my anchor."

"Anchor?" Boyd asked.

"You have a lot to learn," Derek responded and patted the younger man's shoulder, slightly amused that he was so much taller than his new alpha. "I need to go and see if he's okay. We will gather the others and go for a run later but there's no hurry."

Boyd nodded and Derek left the room, walking down the hall and knocked on Stiles's door. The teenager opened it after a second and opened the door wider with a grimace. Derek walked in, passing a hand over his shoulder in passing. Stiles followed his touch and pressed against his chest. The alpha's arms easily found their place around him and tightened imperceptibly.

"I know it hurts and you don't have to pretend it doesn't," Derek whispered into the side of Stiles's head.

"I didn't mean to make Boyd's intro to the family weird."

"Well that's going to be a little tough since you are weird," Derek whispered with a smile.

"Shut up," Stiles chuckled and tightened his arms around Derek's chest, linking his hands at his back.

"Boyd's not looking for normal, he's looking for pack. You are pack and that's all that matters."

Stiles nodded into his neck and he pushed away gently. Derek released him and watched as Stiles sat down in front of his laptop and spun around to look at Derek as he settled on the bed. He pressed his elbows into his knees, leaning forward and watching his partner.

"You know, I don't like boyfriend, it's a ridiculous term."

"Oh?" Stiles grinned as he turned back to his computer, "What would you prefer? Hunnybear, sweetie, snookums?"

Derek snorted, "No thank you to any of those options. I like partner but that's not good enough either. You're my anchor. That's so much more than romance and rainbows. You're so much more than that to me."

"Well if you call me your anchor to other people, they aren't going to get it. Partner is good but boyfriend is like a designation, the easiest most acceptable title for something that shouldn't have to be titled. It doesn't have to mean anything. We could make up a word."

Derek smiled, "I am sure that's your idea of fun but maybe this is just stupid. The last time I was a boyfriend, it didn't end well. The last time I had sex, well that didn't end well either. Maybe I just don't like the name because it just takes me back."

Stiles scooted the chair across the room and gripped Derek's hands, "I think that you are talking about it and that's a good thing. This isn't going to be like it was before, I know everything and I am learning how to protect myself. I have you and my dad and Echo; I have the other betas too. This isn't like it was, okay? Just try and remember that for me?"

Derek's gaze slipped down to Stiles's lips then back up to his eyes then back down again, getting distracted. Stiles flushed, the scent was happy and interested. "You wanna try something for a second?"

"Maybe more than a second," Stiles said with an incorrigible wink.

"Will you sit next to me?"

Stiles tripped over the chair in his haste to sit on the bed, Derek helped to keep him from hitting the ground and tugged him close so they were both sitting. Stiles turned a little, shifting uneasily next to Derek. He lifted a hand and pressed his palm into the underside of Stiles's jaw and watched as the human's eyes fluttered closed and took a deep breath.

"Can I kiss you?"

"God yes," Stiles groaned and Derek smiled as he leaned in the rest of the way, feeling as Stiles exhaled, the warm air passing across Derek's lips. He pressed his mouth to Stiles's gently and waited for a couple of seconds. Then Stiles opened his mouth and fed his tongue into Derek's mouth but it was all messy and high energy. Everything that Stiles was, Derek wrapped his other arm around Stiles's lower back and pulled him as close as he could while continuing to press his lips in again and again. Their tongues danced and Stiles started shifting closer, trying to climb into Derek's lap from the side which just made Derek pull away, chuckling gently.

"Slow, my hunnybear," Derek whispered.

Stiles snickered at the nickname and resettled next to Derek instead of clambering over his lap though his hands were still all over Derek's chest and shoulders. He looked over at Derek, grinning madly, "You know. I don't feel the buzzing; I can't hear her voice right now. That's pretty awesome."

"Yeah, it is," Derek whispered and pressed another kiss to Stiles's jaw. "So Boyd is going to be in the guest room and I am going to be sleeping with you for the foreseeable future."

Stiles snorted, "That's already been happening for a couple weeks now, the you sleeping with me thing."

"But this time your dad said he didn't want me to leave. For now, he's not trying to kick me out."

"Wow," Stiles said, eyebrows raised in surprise then wrapped his arms around Derek's shoulder; "You know that means that he's not going to stop us from being together."

"As long as I don't steal your virtue," Derek said and nudged Stiles away and the teenager just chortled again.

"For a while anyway," he said with a wink.

"For a while," Derek repeated gently and they fell silent and for the moment Stiles let them be still. The human just stuck close and sighed happily as they sat there together basking in the quiet and the closeness.

Stiles watched as the others got ready to go for a run, Derek was trying to settle Allison down but she was bouncing, her hair barely contained in a messy braid off to the side of her head. Lydia was there, grinning at her friend. Jackson was leaning against the farthest wall from them, tense and straining like he was still attempting to shift while they were standing there. Boyd was standing close to Derek but wasn't touching anyone, he'd been introduced to the others but the run seems to have superseded the enjoyment of a new beta for the others. Echo was easily swept up in the excitement, prancing around them in the Stilinski living room and the kitchen while Derek was trying to get the wolves to listen.

"Can we just go already? We still have to drive to the preserve and I want to run!" Allison said with an excited giggle then dropped down to hug Echo as the dog wandered around. Echo allowed the gentle contact, she was really good with the werewolves, and she seemed to understand how much they needed physical contact. After a couple of seconds Allison let Echo go again and Derek huffed.

"Okay, well stay with the group and I think we'll be okay. I don't know if the hunters are going to be out there so we don't want to go to far. Understood?"

"Yeah let's go!" Allison said again, grabbing his hand and trying to drag the alpha to the door. Boyd reached out and removed Allison's hand from his wrist calm and resolute even after she turned a quick snarl at him.

"What are you doing?" she snapped.

Derek easily stepped between them, hands up and out to both of them, "Allison, its okay."

"You shouldn't grab your alpha," Boyd said quietly into the space between them.

"Boyd, you're okay. We're okay. This is the instincts, Allison is young and she is tactile, she's not forcing me and you're okay here."

The big beta shivered hard, like the tension in his shoulders was leaving in the movement then nodded, "Okay. Sorry. I didn't mean to make it worse."

Stiles watched as everyone took another deep breath, even Jackson and Lydia. Derek pressed a hand to the side of Boyd's neck and squeezed gently while he reached his hand out for Allison who took it between hers. Stiles couldn't help the sappy smile on his face whenever Derek was being an alpha. He was a good man and Stiles was proud that someone else was seeing it.

"You didn't make it worse, we are all going to have to learn about each other," Derek said gently to Boyd then clasped his shoulder a little longer before he released them both, clapped his hands together and led them all to the cars. Stiles and Echo climbed into the Jeep with Allison and Lydia squished in with them, full of giggles from Allison and exasperated sighs from Lydia. Derek climbed into the Camaro with Boyd and Jackson wasn't willing to drive with any of them so he was in his car. They were parking at one of the trail beginning points and it took about fifteen minutes to get there, Stiles watched as the sun started to set. They weren't running in full dark but enough that they would be obscured by the darkness. As this was the first time running together, Stiles and Lydia were staying with the cars while they went out so when he put the jeep in park Stiles stayed where he was. Allison squealed again excitedly, her face already shifted with funny sideburns and no eyebrows.

"You look funny," Stiles chuckled quietly.

She growled then leaned forward and pressed a messy awkward kiss to Stiles's head then stumbled out of the car and pounced on Jackson's back. The other beta chuckled then dumped her back on the ground while Derek and Boyd stepped out of the Camaro. Derek turned and walked over to the jeep, walking around to the driver's side.

"We won't be gone long," Derek whispered and pressed a hand over Stiles's arm.

The human smiled, "I'm going to be fine Derek, you are going to take the pups out and you guys are going to do great."

Derek smirked, "I would take you with me but I think they need to get used to each other."

Stiles leaned through the open window a little; pressing a quick kiss to Derek's knuckles, "Don't worry about me."

"Never going to happen," Derek returned and gripped Stiles's chin to pull him in for a quick chaste kiss. "Stay with Echo and Lydia. Stay safe, okay?"

Stiles nodded then watched as the man and his three betas took off towards the woods. Lydia was sitting in the passenger seat and watched them for a minute until that got boring so she took out her phone and started taking selfies, making funny faces. Stiles let her amuse herself while he took out his phone and started doing some research about the hunter who died, to see if there was anything else since the body had been found but there was nothing else that he could find without breaking into his dad's office or the station which he wasn't interested in doing especially since Derek had already said they were going to stay out of it unless it was necessary. He looked up the hunter instead, to see if he could figure out anything about him in particular.

He didn't even know the last name so that was a exercise in futility until he just looked up social media and the guy's first name and found him. Of course his name was "BennettHunter" because someone thought that was a good idea but with the guy's page he could see that Bennett was actually from Beacon Hills and was 25 years old. Stiles bookmarked his page to go back and look again later, maybe there was some way to see who his friends were and see if there was any connections to Argent on there.

Any information was better than nothing.

He put his phone down and turned to catch sight of Echo who was staring intently out the window. He clicked his tongue and her and she turned to look at him, "Do you see them, girl?"

"You know she can't actually answer you?" Lydia muttered in her special 'Ice Queen' way.

"You telling me you don't talk to Prada?"

"My dog?" Lydia asked, turning to spare him a lifted brow and impatient look.

"No, your designer handbag," Stiles snarked back, enjoying the sarcasm more than he thought humanly possible. "Yes, your dog."

"I guess I do talk to her," Lydia responded with a shrug.

"Well then leave me to my conversation," Stiles said and looked back again at Echo just as she stood up and stared out the window. He frowned, "Echo?"

She turned and looked at him then dropped her head and focused on something in the woods but when he looked out there he didn't see anything.

"Does she see something? Is it them?" Lydia asked as she focused on the dog in the back seat.

Stiles kept watching the woods but there wasn't anything that he could see. Then she started barking and Stiles clapped his hands over his ears in surprise while Lydia did the same. He hunched low in his seat just as something swooped by and slammed into the side of the jeep, making it sway for a second then it was gone. He looked back towards the woods while Echo settled down in the back seat just as the others came out of the forest. Derek and the three betas were all there and yet something had run into the side of the jeep and freaked out the dog. The dog that was specifically trained to protect Stiles from danger so he didn't think it was nothing.

He opened the door, coming around the front just as Derek swept him into his embrace, "Are you okay?" the alpha demanded.

"Yes, was that the thing from the other night? The thing that killed Bennett?"

Derek shrugged even as he released Stiles, "I don't know. It slammed into us, and then it was gone. I have no idea what happened out there but it was strong."

Stiles looked around, reaching out to clasp Allison shoulder before she walked over to the jeep and climbed in with Lydia, squishing into the front seat with her friend while Jackson and Boyd panted, both still partially shifted from the excitement of the run or possibly the danger.

"We should go get settled back at the house, I don't think we should be out here with two measly humans," Stiles said as he pulled away from Derek and turned back to the jeep only to notice the dent in the rear end of the cab. He frowned as he walked over and pressed his hand into the welt of bent metal and wondered again, what had struck the side of the jeep as he pressed his hand into dent, and it fit perfectly into the shape left behind.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Derek said, startling Stiles into getting back into the driver seat and they headed back to the Stilinski residence for the night.


	11. Body Found

**Chapter Eleven: Body Found**

 **Author's note: I dislike FFN's tendency to have my chapters come out in code. Ugh...**

The Stilinski residence was jam-packed for the rest of the weekend, Allison was 'sleeping over at Lydia's house' as a cover. Lydia's parents didn't seem to care where she was, Boyd didn't have anywhere else to be except with his alpha and Jackson's parents were nosy enough to call but detached enough to believe anything he said. They called a couple times to check on him but his constant response was that he was 'out with friends' and he was going to be home later.

Stiles, after most of his life only having Scott in his house, felt the whole experience was surreal. They were so loud and after the scare in the woods on Saturday night, Echo was revved up so he took her out for a walk early in the day while everyone was gathering but surprisingly Boyd followed him. Stiles tried to convince the big guy that he didn't need another werewolf shadow, he already had Derek for that but it wasn't enough to deter the other teen from walking out of the house after him. Derek pressed a comforting hand to Boyd's shoulder in passing and figured that having someone with Stiles that he could trust was actually good for Derek. He could continue to find some independence, and Derek wouldn't always have to be the one to protect him. Stiles's dad would be so thrilled, he thought with rolling eyes.

They walked quietly for a couple minutes but Stiles was buzzing, even after everything that happened he was still Stiles. He was still full of questions and energy. "Are you planning to go to school at Beacon Hills High School?"

Boyd nodded.

"Well, its definitely like any other school except that there are werewolves there," Stiles said with a shrug. "We have lacrosse and pretty people and nerds. Yadda yadda."

"Aren't you one of the 'pretty people'?" Boyd asked with a raised brow and quoting fingers.

Stiles chuckled, "Umm no. I'm not. Lydia and Jackson were always considered to be the popular crowd. Lydia and Allison have adopted me in school when Scott decided to turn into a douche rag but don't expect Jackson to talk to you in the halls because he won't. He's still pretending that we mean nothing to him. Actually I don't think that's a show," Stiles scratched his head and frowned. Jackson really hadn't warmed up to anyone in the pack; Stiles didn't expect that to change anytime soon.

"Why is he here then?" Boyd asked, "Why would the alpha let someone into the pack that doesn't want to be there?"

"Derek does because Jackson needs it more than he wants it. He's still struggling with shifting and I think he's more alone than any of us but don't tell him I said that because seriously he might kick my ass," Stiles paused, "Never mind, I'm going to tell him the next time Derek is trying to get him to shift."

Boyd snorted with a nod but took a deep breath, turning a little towards Stiles, "He's not like the alpha I met. He doesn't force his will on us."

"No he doesn't, Peter did that to Scott and to Derek. Peter tried to force my best friend to kill with him; he made him watch a murder. Derek is a good alpha, he never asked for it and most of the time he's still wandering around the dark but he'll get there. I know he will."

"Did he kill Peter, isn't that the only way to take an alpha power? That's what I heard anyway," Boyd asked.

Stiles shrugged and tried to focus on the question because it had nothing to do with what _he'd_ been doing at the time but he couldn't stop the shudder from passing over his chest and down his arms, "I wasn't actually awake when it happened but from what they told me Peter willed the power to Derek, it was either that or die. I'm glad it didn't come to that because Derek didn't want to kill him, being his only surviving family. I might have, but Derek couldn't and I don't hold that against him."

"An alpha who hasn't killed, I didn't know that was possible."

Stiles didn't see the point or the reason to share about Paige, it wasn't what Boyd meant. She was a private hell for Derek and if he wanted to tell his betas about it, that was Derek's decision. Instead he said what Derek would say, "Just because you're a predator doesn't mean you're a killer."

"But Peter was," Boyd said.

Stiles shrugged again as they turned back towards the house again, "He was crazed from what happened to him. He only killed the people responsible for the genocide inflicted on his family. Trust me when I say I am not a huge fan of Peter Hale after he buried me alive but I get it and in a weird way he saved me from something much worse. If someone hurt my dad, I don't think anyone could stop me from hunting down the sonofabitch who did it. I'm also not a big fan of the way Peter killed them because it brought the Hunters here and put a target on Derek's back but again, he was a tad crazy from what happened."

"And the hunter?" Boyd asked quietly, like he didn't want to open a suspected wound. He didn't say her name so Stiles wasn't as bothered, 'hunter' could be anyone and they could be talking about someone else. It didn't have to be Stiles lying on the ground with her hand down his pants and a pain stick in the other hand. It didn't have to be his ear that she whispered 'sweet' words into, and caused confusion and disgust.

"I'd kill her in a second for what she's done to people," Stiles snarled.

"And for what she did to you?" He didn't say anything else but Stiles tensed, thinking he might wonder what she did. No one really talked about it, only the Sheriff, Stiles and Derek really knew and Scott knew even though he wasn't here to be a part of Stiles's recovery.

Stiles forced the tension out of his muscles, trying to relax even though Boyd could probably smell the anxiety on him. Stiles couldn't help but notice the strain in Boyd's shoulders at the topic. He shrugged and veered the conversation away from what she'd done to him, "She's done worse to others. I can't think of what she did to me, not if I want to stay upright and I will not be cowed by her."

Boyd nodded and they continued the walk in silence.

As they got close enough, they could hear the ruckus outside from the backyard so the three of them walked around the side of the house to find Allison and Jackson sparring, with Derek and Lydia cheering from the sidelines. Jackson was shifted, though that probably had more to do with the jeering from Lydia, it had been almost a week of working with them several times and he was still struggling without some source of contention. Derek was concerned that it meant that Jackson was still fighting the Bite but he'd stopped excreting black fluid so they had no reason to think he was going to die or anything. Derek was about two days from finding the nearest pothead in the school and confiscating the stash to try and see if they could chemically loosen up Jackson which was something Stiles is willing to pay to see happen. As far as he could tell they would feel the high but the werewolf metabolism would rid Jackson's system of the drug in short order, would be a short but excellent show in Stiles's opinion.

"Hey, Boyd's back," Stiles shouted as he shoved the immovable man in the direction of the others and he just raised a brow. Stiles shooed him over to the other betas and Allison turned to rush him.

Boyd caught her mid leap and dropped her to the ground, using his height and weight against her. Allison grunted as air whooshed quickly out of her lips then she laughed. She was pretty chill about getting tossed around though that could have more to do with the fact that she frequently used such moves to inflict pain on others. She would wait for someone to throw her off, use the momentum to twist and spring on the unsuspecting victim or even send a lethal kick to a vulnerable kneecap. Stiles didn't know what a broken kneecap sounded like until one of her kicks caught Derek by surprise. She was very good at using her slighter weight against the guys. She was mostly a badass who was used to hard training and the werewolf healing just made her all the more dangerous. He was glad most days that she was on their side. And that didn't even include the training that she was still getting from her father.

Stiles walked the rest of the way to sit down on the steps next to Derek; he wrapped an arm around the alpha's shoulders and squeezed a little.

"You okay?" Derek asked.

"Of course," Stiles snorted, "I can take a walk around the block with my protector dog and a big beta and be okay, ya know."

Derek smiled, "I don't like letting you out of my sight. Sorry about that."

Stiles squeezed again because there was nothing Derek should be sorry about, "I know man. We are both getting over some massive shit. Thanks for letting it be Boyd this time. I know that would have been difficult for you."

The alpha nodded and watched the three betas while Lydia ruffled Echo's face and coat while she pretended that she couldn't hear every word. Actually the betas could hear too because they would have had to walk several yards away from them to get any actual privacy so Stiles didn't quite care. Then Derek turned and looked at Stiles, keeping eye contact looking solemn, "I can't see you hurt again. I don't think I'll survive it. You're too important."

Stiles flushed, nodding before shoving Derek gently away from him, "Go train your betas, you big softie." He couldn't get into the hard truth with Derek right now that Stiles was undoubtedly going to get hurt again, he was a human in a werewolf pack who wanted to take out the woman who assaulted him. Echo and Derek wouldn't always be able to keep him safe all the time, but he wasn't willing to open that can of worms because there was no winning that talk right now. For either of them.

Derek smirked, getting up and walking over to the others while Stiles grabbed the pooper-scooper and did a lap around the small backyard. His dad would kill him if they started tracking dog crap into the house because werewolves were too busy grappling with each other to notice the poop. When he disposed of the results of his search he returned to the step and sat down with Lydia and Echo while the werewolves wrestled.

The rest of the Sunday passed by with fighting then lunch. Jackson left soon after they shared a meal and Stiles knew how important that was. Meals shared together was a way to build fellowship in community with humans, he knew from all the time that he spent with Derek that the same was true of werewolves if not even more important. Lydia and Allison left as well, leaving it just Stiles, Derek and Boyd. The Sheriff had been at the station all day and he would be coming home for dinner but Echo breathed a sigh when the door closed on the last guest and Stiles chuckled, "I hear you girl. It's going to take some getting used to."

"What? You don't have parties or anything?" Boyd asked, smirking a little, the flash of teeth a bright counterpoint to his dark skin.

"No, it was usually just me and Scott, I had this other friend for a long time Heather but when she ended up at a different school we weren't that close."

"That's it huh? Two friends for your whole life? This must be a change."

Stiles nodded, "Not a bad change, just will take some getting used to."

"The noise probably isn't helping your PTSD either," Derek muttered and Stiles looked over at him in surprise. So did Boyd. When their stares stayed glued to the side of his head, Derek turned and raised a brow. Boyd immediately looked down and away but Stiles wasn't cowed by his alpha-ness so Derek just shrugged, "I read. A lot. About PTSD and what you might experience. Hypersensitivity can be one of the side effects, even to things that have nothing to do with the original trauma."

Stiles smiled softly at the thought of Derek searching of information that would be helpful for Stiles but also himself. Derek was accomplished at not considering what was good for him but Stiles hoped that the information got through that thick self-shaming skull of his.

"You have books or did you go to the library or a coffee shop for WIFI?" Stiles asked with a grin.

Derek rolled his eyes, "I went to the library since I don't have a computer."

"Computers are vital to research Derek, come on man!" Stiles exclaimed though he was smiling and Derek had that little smirk. Boyd was looking between the two of them like they were crazy.

"Sometimes things are too important to put into a computer or a website."

Stiles grasped his chest in mock horror, "You take that back!"

Derek shook his head. Stiles let the conversation shift to how they were going to handle Boyd's introduction to the school. He was a new kid living in the same house as Derek Hale, the new alpha in town, and he was going to be spending time with Stiles and the others. It was only a matter of time before all their careful under-the-radar living was going to crash around their ears. Stiles was busy thinking of other plans for Allison since her parents weren't going to believe that she was spending all of her time at the Martin residence and God forbid the parents actually talk to each other. They couldn't all keep crashing in the Stilinski house, there wasn't enough space but the idea of Derek leaving with the others hurt the Stiles's head and heart so he refused to suggest it unless it became necessary.

Boyd would start the paperwork and he was going to be 'living' with the Stilinski's for the moment so the Argents weren't going to miss that change but they couldn't stop it. To be fair, Boyd wasn't turned against his will or by Derek at all. He needed an alpha and Stiles was interested to see if Chris and Victoria Argent were ballsy enough to cause a fuss about him taking in someone who needed help. They were all going to have to wait and see.

Thankfully Boyd had already been emancipated due to the fallout with his parents, something he'd sought when they tried to send him to jail for something he hadn't done though Boyd didn't tell them how he managed to do that, possibly with Dr. Marcus's assistance. And once they were settled and everything; Stiles, Derek and Boyd were still going to be seeing the good doctor during the week. Stiles had training, self-defense class and gun range all after school so it was already shaping up to be a full week.

Once Derek seemed satisfied with a plan, they ate dinner and his dad had left a while before with a packed lunch Derek made for the other man. Stiles couldn't help snickering at his dad's face when Derek shoved the bag into his hands and walking away. Stiles leaned over and opened the sack to find a sandwich and carrot sticks inside and laughed as his dad muttered a thank you and headed out to the station.

After dinner they settled into the living room for homework and movies. Stiles wasn't behind but he had a little bit to do for some extra credit. Oddly, being buds with Lydia made him a little competitive, wanting to kick her butt scholastically speaking, not that she was going to be easily taken but therein lay the challenge.

With Lydia and Allison hanging out with him in the afternoon frequently, it was easy to get into a routine that allowed them to work on their homework together over the past weeks when they weren't training. Derek would just listen to them talk about what was happening at school, sometimes he would hover and make Stiles something to snack on. Apparently cooking and feeding your betas was a thing for alphas? Though Stiles didn't know of sure, just knew that Derek seemed to feel better when he was taking care of them.

They were halfway through Iron Man when Stiles's dad came in through the front and stopped to stare at them, his eyes wide and scared. Stiles snapped up and away from Derek's warm side at the expression on his face, "Dad, what is it?"

"It hit again," his dad responded, scraping his fingers through his hair in agitation. "Same deep wounds in the chest, exactly like the hunter from last week. Please tell me you guys have been here!"

Stiles nodded, "Yeah Dad, since early afternoon and I just went on a walk around the block with Boyd. Nothing else since the other night."

His dad glared at him, "What other night?"

"You know, last night. We went running and something bumped into the jeep, I told you didn't I?" Stiles turned back to Derek who was shaking his head.

"Jesus Stiles!" his dad snapped and Stiles and Boyd both flinched at the tone.

"Sorry Dad, it didn't occur to me to say anything, it was basically nothing."

"Let," his dad gritted out, "Me decide that next time. This thing has killed two people now and come to find out it attacked you last night!"

"No attacks!" Stiles scrambled to his feet, holding his hands out in surrender. "Echo was barking at it, something shoved into the truck and then it was gone. It didn't touch any of the pack or me, it just scared us."

"This time," his dad said and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Next time just tell me something happened otherwise, they go. If I have to deal with my son lying to me again, I just can't deal with everything else."

"I didn't lie," Stiles muttered.

"What would you consider lying then?" his dad asked, crossing his arms.

"Reclining," Stiles started not thinking before he spoke, "in a horizontal position?"

His dad crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

"Okay, yeah I omitted the truth of a scare from last night and I won't do it again. I promise I will tell you about every little thing when it happens okay?"

His dad glared at him and Stiles sighed again before his dad spoke, "I know your being a sarcastic kid right now Stiles but I'm serious. I can't do the lies and 'omissions'" he air quoted the word and Stiles narrowed his eyes in annoyance, "I just can't do that, okay?"

Stiles opened his mouth to spew out more excuses when Derek stood up and pressed a hand to the back of his neck, "Remember what it was like for us when you were gone? Try, okay."

Stiles deflated and nodded, "You're right Dad. I'm sorry."

His dad nodded decisively, putting it aside as he reached out and tugged Stiles into one of his back slapping hugs before he stepped back and they shook off all the emotion. Stiles shifted a little to see that Derek was pressing a comforting hand on Boyd's shoulder, the betas claws were out and gripped against the palms of his hands. It took another minute of everyone purposefully not watching Boyd for the other werewolf to get control of himself then Derek turned back to Stiles and his dad.

"Any leads?" Derek asked.

"Any connections?" Stiles asked, talking over Derek now that his mind was racing off into if this was another Peter thing? Bennett was the first death so this creature was new to town. He wanted to do some searching and see if there were any possible connections so maybe they could catch this guy before any more death if it wasn't just rampant destruction. It would be easy to see this as chaos but they thought that about the deaths that Peter was carrying out, but there had been a reason. They couldn't pretend that wasn't at least a possibility because it was a supernatural creature.

His dad opened his notebook, calmer now after the talk with his son. "It looks like his name was Richard Carter, he was found in his backyard, same marks in his chest but there obviously hasn't been an autopsy yet. I get the feeling that the Argents wouldn't want their hunter to end up in the hospital because this is a pattern and the Sheriff's department is going to be running down every lead. This way they can't run off into the woods and just kill it. But also, my department can't have another thing like last year. I haven't been able to look any possible connections but I don't know if there would be any between a 25-year-old hunter and a CPA in his late forties."

"Dad, we didn't think there was a connection with Peter's murders."

"Stiles," his dad said, rolling his eyes "I know how to do my job, I'll look into it and if there is any news I will let you know but you are going to stay out of this. You hear me?"

Stiles thought about the dark box, the hands in his pants and wrapped his arms around his stomach nodding.

"We'll be on the lookout, its strange that the bodies were found in two very different places as well," Derek started.

"Very true Derek, it seems like there might be more differences than similarities at the moment but hopefully we can find something before there is a third body."

With that he turned and headed right back out the door. Stiles still standing there, staring after his dad, hearing Kate's voice, _'I'm coming back for you baby.'_

"Stiles?" Derek whispered and pressed a hand to his arm.

Stiles jumped and looked at Derek, "Sorry. Little jumpy."

Derek nodded and pulled him into his chest for a long hug, refusing to let go until Stiles sagged against him heavily, "Your dad is really good at his job and this still doesn't need to be about us."

Stiles nodded, "Do you think he was right about the Argents not wanting Bennett's body to be found?"

Derek shrugged, "I don't know enough about the hunters to say but if they don't know what this is, they would have needed the body to figure it out. We could ask Allison if she's heard anything from her parents about it."

Stiles pulled away, "Yeah, I'll talk to her about it tomorrow. For now, I think locked doors and being in bed with two werewolves sounds like the best idea."

"Sure, lets get everything turned off and we can double check all the doors and everything. Why don't you take Echo out for her last walk of the night, Boyd go with Stiles and I will lock up?"

They nodded, Stiles not arguing about the escort and headed to the back door with Echo on his heels.

Noah watched as Melissa squatted down in front of a teenaged girl, about Stiles's age and tried to think why she looked so familiar. She has long ratty dark blonde hair, dressed in a hospital gown and a case of acne and pockmarks on her chin. She looked exhausted but still smiling when Melissa touched her hand gently. The girl was transferred quickly into the care of another nurse, leaving Melissa alone so Noah took a chance to walk forward.

"Melissa, can I speak to you a minute?"

She smiled, "Sheriff Stilinski, don't tell me you need medical care?" she said jokingly as she looked around, undoubtedly for Stiles.

Noah smiled, "No, I doing well despite my son's insistence on eating boring crap every meal he can force on me."

Melissa smiled, "How can I help you?"

"I would like to know if there was anything else about the body that came in. I know it's not been enough time for a complete autopsy but have you seen it?"

"Yeah, I was here when the body came in and I will be working with the pathologist so you will get the report but there was something I noticed. I can get us down there, do you want to see it now?"

Noah nodded and they walked off towards the elevator since the morgue was on a sublevel of the hospital. Melissa pushed the corresponding button and they waited for the door to open as she fidgeted a little with the pockets of her scrubs.

"You okay Mel?" Noah asked her as the door opened and they slipped inside.

"That girl, Erica Reyes, she has epilepsy and I just couldn't stop thinking that Scott isn't sick anymore. He doesn't have asthma anymore because of the bite. I don't know what to do because I think she deserves a chance to actually have a life. She's always being hospitalized."

Noah stared at her, "You think she should get the Bite?" He thought about the other night when Derek came in and told him what Scott had said to Stiles. It was one of the few things that he wasn't pushing Stiles about telling him but the other teenager's absence was strongly felt in the house in recent weeks. They hadn't known Boyd when he was human and Derek was born a werewolf so he didn't know if they were all like that when they were changed but Scott as a test case was scary.

"I think that anything is better than living like she does. She is stuck at home with her mother and father, not allowed to do anything with friends. Being a werewolf," she whispered as the doors opened and they walked out into the hallway before she continued. "It must be better than what she has now."

Noah took a deep breath as they walked into the morgue and turned to her, "Do you know what your son has been putting my son through for the past couple weeks? They aren't friends anymore; he's said awful things to Stiles and Derek. He has had mood swings and he could go crazy, and you want some girl to have it too?"

Melissa sighed and walked over to pull out one of the drawers and Noah looked down as she donned some gloves and pointed down at the space at the back of the man's neck and Noah looked closer to see the surgical cut on the back of the neck.

"Was that a part of the attack?" he asked reaching out then pulling back before Melissa had a chance to correct him. Noah knew what it meant to contaminate a body.

"It was separate from the rest of the marks but we took a sample of the moisture that we found in and around the wound for testing but before that happened, one of the coroner's assistance got a little of it on their skin and his arm went dead for about fifteen minutes. He's okay, though he's being reprimanded for the misstep but if I had my guess, I believe this cut happened at the beginning of the attack and it acts as some kind of paralytic that the creature/assailant is using to disable the victim before it cuts them apart. They wouldn't be able to move especially because it is entering the blood stream through the cut and right below the brain to boot."

"Was it on the other body?" Noah asked.

Melissa looked towards him and nodded, "It's the same which means that this is the same killer. I know you knew that but I wanted you to know that we found this because this thing, whatever it is, its dangerous and has the ability to drop you and you wouldn't have the ability to fight back. Tell the boys to be careful out there, tell the deputies to be careful out there."

Noah raised a brow in question, "The same deputies that are still convinced we had a bobcat or a mountain lion terrorizing the villagers last year? Those deputies?"

Melissa reached out and pressed a hand to his shoulder, "Just be careful out there Noah, Stiles needs you now more than ever. We all do."

Noah swallowed convulsively and nodded, "I will Mel." He reached up and gripped her hand tightly before they pulled away and she closed the drawer. Noah turned back and they both walked out of the morgue. He walked slowly, thinking about this newest thing that could take any man or woman down with a small slice across the back of the neck. They got back to the elevator and headed back to the main floor in silence. He didn't know what to say and because their sons weren't living at each other's houses right now, Noah just didn't know what to say. He'd always felt that the only thing he had in common with Melissa was their sons, their spouses weren't there anymore for various reasons. She had always been there when Claudia started getting sick, she'd helped him with Stiles a lot and she'd been there every time his wife seemed to be getting worse but their kids and losing spouses did not a friendship make. He was about to turn towards the exit as the door opened and they heard the commotion. Melissa moved quickly out of the elevator and shouted, "Erica!"

Noah followed her and watched as the young girl that Melissa had been speaking with shuddered and seized on the floor. He didn't walk over; moving toward the action would just get Noah in the way of the doctors doing their jobs. Melissa took the girl's hand while they shifted Erica onto her side and a syringe was inserted into her arm and then it was a harsh wait to see if she would fall silent. But she didn't, Erica just kept shuddering then still then it would begin again even more violently. And Noah was left useless in the face of a young girl's body turning against her. There was nothing the doctor's could do except wait for it to stop, Noah could see it on their faces and Melissa looked shell shocked.

He didn't even realize he was holding his breath until Erica's body stilled and Melissa and the other doctors' moved into action, getting her resettled on a nearby stretcher and she was wheeled away. Melissa turned and walked back to him and gripped his hand again, right below the wrist. "Think about it please?"

"I couldn't do anything for her, even if I wanted to," Noah answered.

"But the alpha can," Melissa whispered before she turned and jogged after her patient and Noah turned to leave. He didn't know what else to do, maybe Derek or Deaton or even Marcus would have some information. He didn't want to get Melissa's hopes up, or god forbid get Erica's hopes up if it wouldn't help anyway but the seizures—maybe Melissa was right that being changed could be better than this.

He got into his vehicle and slipped the key into the ignition and paused as he thought about someone he could ask. Derek would tell him what he needed to know but he was new and from what he'd noticed it would be difficult for the alpha to not try to fix it or make a really bad choice. He leaned back into the seat and pulled out his cellphone and flicked through the numbers then made a quick decision and pushed the little green phone.

The small jingle of the ringing number got louder as he pressed it to his ear. Then it clicked and she spoke, "This is Siobhan Marcus, how can I help you?"

"Hey, this is Sheriff Noah Stilinski, I was calling for some advice. Is this a good time?"

Dr. Marcus hmm'ed and did something for a second and then answered, "I got about ten minutes, is it Stiles or Derek? Is it Boyd?"

"No, the boys are doing fine, I'm calling to ask your opinion about something. From what you said, you know a lot about the supernatural world?"

"Yes, what did you have a question about?"

"Well there's this girl and she has a bad case of epilepsy and a friend of mine, Scott's mom in fact, was wondering if she could be turned. Since Scott had asthma and now he doesn't."

Siobhan made a noise of consideration, "I believe so but I would suggest speaking to someone who knows a lot more than I do about turning someone. I think there is another pack nearby but I wouldn't know who they are. Maybe you can ask Derek about them maybe, see if he has contacts but I think you are going to need someone older. Someone who made contacts before the fire."

"Peter Hale is the only other one who's alive," Noah sighed, not looking forward to that conversation mostly because he didn't know how it could possibly be helpful. The other Hale didn't seem to be a helpful individual and he had mostly been trouble before the fire from what Noah remembered about him.

"I will check around and see if there is a way I can touch base without coming to that but it might be your best option. I don't know what kind of information I will be able to find. I will get in touch with you about it tomorrow maybe. Was there anything else I could help you with?"

Noah looked down at the notepad considering, "Do you think anyone would know about supernatural monsters besides the hunters? We have something that is slicing up people and has the ability to paralyze its victims. I need as much information as possible and I know for a fact that the Argents aren't going to share information."

"Most of that kind of stuff didn't really come up in my training or in sessions but I will ask you how you found me?"

"The veterinarian, Alan Deaton," Noah responded and grabbed the notebook and made a note to call the veterinarian later and consider a trip to Eichen House. "Thank you Dr. Marcus!"

"Please, call me Siobhan."

"Noah," he responded and said his goodbyes and hung up.

There would be more to do tomorrow but for now he had to get back to the station and check everything out. He needed to make sure his deputies know about the paralytic agent, even if it wasn't going to be easy to explain.


	12. The Other Counselor

**Chapter Twelve: The Other Counselor**

 **Author's Note: If FFN behaves itself you are going to get a couple of chapters. Hugs, reviews are always welcome.**

Monday morning came with little pomp or fuss, Boyd dressed in dark jeans, a white t-shirt and a blue sweater so he would blend except for the fact that he was a new kid in a small town. People would be curious for a day then they would go back to their own stuff. Stiles worked on breakfast for all of them while Derek dressed. Echo had her breakfast and went outside to go to the bathroom. Then, without a word from his dad, they all headed for school. Derek had an appointment with Dr. Marcus and Boyd would need to get registered. Since Boyd was emancipated it seemed like he was in charge of filling out his own paperwork then he had to wait and get a schedule, possibly wouldn't be starting until the next day so Stiles went about his day like normal.

Scott was still hanging with Lahey; Jackson was still palling around with Danny who chose to stay with his best friend as opposed to spending time with Stiles and the others. Lydia and Allison were Stiles's normal buds and no one was bothering Echo anymore. Some still gave her a wide berth but some people had been brave enough in recent days to come and ask to pet her when she wasn't 'on duty' which Stiles allowed. He answered questions about her every once in a while though people never asked why he had her. The kidnapping of the Sherriff's son had been big news so everyone knew it had something to do with that.

It came as a surprise when someone walked into his English class after lunch and the teacher asked him to go to the office. He grabbed his books and left, Echo next to him and walked to the office.

"Hi, Stilinski, they told me to come to the office?" he asked.

"The counselor would like to speak to you," the lady said and waved off towards one of the offices and Stiles frowned.

"I don't have a session today?"

"Not Dr. Marcus, Miss Morrell would like to speak to you," she waved again, clearly trying to do something else though when he shifted his gaze to the screen she closed the video too quickly for him to see what it was. Stiles rolled his eyes and walked around the counter and headed toward the door with Morrell on it and knocked.

The woman, Miss Morrell, came to the door and smiled. He nodded to her, barely noticing what she looked like, he knew she was also the French teacher and had seen her around. Morrell wasn't one of his teachers since he was taking Spanish and was fluent in Polish so he'd never come to see her before. Miss Morrell looked down at Echo and then back up again with that smile that made Stiles want to move away from her, "Can she stay out here? I'm allergic."

Stiles frowned, not knowing what to do. He didn't like being separated from Echo anymore but infecting the woman's office with dander didn't seem like the better option either. Stiles finally nodded, asked Echo to lie down and stay before he walked in and Miss Morrell closed the door behind them. He sat down, slouching in the chair as the counselor walked around and sat down in front of him.

"What's this about?" Stiles asked.

"I just wanted to touch base and see how you are doing since everything that happened?"

"Look," he gesticulated "I mean no offense here so please don't tell the principal I am being a hard case but I am speaking to Dr. Marcus about all that and honestly I don't know you well enough to get into it with you. I have confidentiality with Dr. Marcus and I do not have any such agreement or legality with you."

She smiled again with saccharine sweetness, the expression made his gut clench in discomfort, "I can understand that Mr. Stilinski. I would like to make sure that your education isn't getting derailed by the events of your kidnapping."

Stiles crossed his arms and sighed, "I'm pretty sure my teachers would be talking to me or my father if I was doing poorly which I'm not. I would really appreciate if you just dropped this school counseling-concerned parent routine and tell me what you want. Thanks."

The smile slipped a little at a time and by the time he was done speaking Miss Morrell face was neutral. She leaned back in her chair, back ramrod straight and certain as she folded her fingers together. Miss Morrell took a deep breath and started again, "I know that you are with Derek Hale. That you are a part of his pack and I am trying to ascertain if you are going to stay with him even if it means you might die."

Stiles scoffed, "What does it matter to you whether I live or die let alone if I am in with a werewolf pack?"

"Because the alpha I serve desires power and he's coming. He'll do anything to take out the last Hale alpha, to keep him as a trophy kill or a pet project. And you are only human, with a pet to protect you."

Stiles rose a judging brow, "Then don't serve him. I am going back to class since this has nothing to do with school. If you have an issue with the supernatural, take it up with your power-hungry alpha or Dr. Marcus. I got nothing for you."

Stiles stood up and walked out, leaning down to grab the leash on Echo's collar just as Miss Morrell scrambled around her desk to follow him, "Mr. Stilinski!" she scolded.

He turned towards the lady behind the front counter who was watching them with undisguised interest, "Miss Morrell would like to speak to _Dr._ Marcus."

Stiles heard the door nearby open and heard Dr. Marcus speak, "Stiles? Are you okay?"

"Not really," he flapped his arms in agitation.

She stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm, "Would you like to come in for a moment before you head back to class? I have a few minutes before my next appointment."

Stiles nodded and walked into the room with his counselor and slumped into the chair, commanding Echo to sit. She sat and Stiles pressed a hand to the side of her neck and rub into her fur, gaining some comfort in her closeness.

"What did she say?" Dr. Marcus started as she walked around to sit in her chair again.

"She made some sympathetic noises about my education and my mental wellbeing. I called her out on the bullshit of her caring all of a sudden and she revealed that she knew about werewolves and Derek being my alpha. She brought up the alpha she worked for, saying that he's drunk on power and I'm going to die if I stay with Derek and the pack."

Marcus rubbed her forehead, "I'm sorry she called you in, I don't know what she thought it would accomplish but I will speak with her about bringing a minor into the middle of something that isn't her right to demand. I promise that you are safe here, as safe as we can make it."

Stiles nodded, "Thank you. What do we need to know about this alpha?"

"I will speak to your father and your alpha about it. Your job is to go back to class and listen to Derek and your dad. That's what you need to do. Okay?"

Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Stiles?" Dr. Marcus asked with a chuckle, "I know you don't want to sit and do nothing. Ask them if you can help with anything after I've had a chance to speak to them and go from there. You are good with finding information, as good as your dad. They both know that."

Stiles nodded, ducking his head to hide the embarrassed flush in his cheeks, "Thanks."

"Get out of here," Dr. Marcus smiled and he left, heading back to class.

Stiles jerked his phone out of the side pouch of Echo's pack and typed out a quick message to Derek, Allison and Lydia: _'Hey, that French teacher/Counselor called me into her office and said that she knew I was in the pack and that I was going to get killed when some new power-hungry alpha comes to town. Be aware, if she calls you in I didn't want you to be surprised. Der, can you tell Boyd? I don't have his number yet. What should we do?'_

Stiles slipped the phone back into the pouch and returned to class to finish out the rest of the day, hoping to hear back from Derek and his dad sometime soon about what happened with Miss Morrell.

Noah walked out of the sheriff's station just as his cellphone rang and he looked down to see Dr. Marcus's number. He answered the call as he continued over to his vehicle, "Siobhan? How can I help you?"

"Noah, I just had some news that you and Derek both need to know about. Miss Morrell, the other counselor, called Stiles into the office and tried to scare him off from Derek and the pack. He called her out and came to me. He's okay, just worried. If I know Stiles as well as I think I do, he's already texted the others to warn them about the encounter but I have a responsibility to speak to you and Derek about this."

Noah sighed, pleased that he had someone looking out for Stiles on the school grounds and wiling to keep him in the loop. It also didn't surprise him that Stiles _didn't_ text him if he'd already texted Derek. He tugged open the door and slipped in behind the wheel.

"He's safe though? She won't hurt him?"

"She's an Emissary, she won't hurt people but she serves an alpha that is a concern. Something that Derek will have to start looking into now if he wants to survive the struggle. They can do it, Noah. But he's going to need your help."

"I'll do anything for Stiles," he answered immediately.

"I'm talking about Derek. He needs someone like you, logical and wise. He needs a father figure more than you will ever know."

Noah pressed his forehead to the steering wheel, he knew that was true and he didn't like that the therapist was saying it, calling attention to the fact that he hadn't done anything to endear himself to Derek. It meant that the final walls about his son's relationship with the alpha were crumbling and Noah didn't know how he felt about that. Derek was just as much of a scared kid as his son, even more so after everything that happened to him but letting all the parental crap for Stiles fall away and it would be over. They were going to sink farther into this relationship and his son was never going to have any semblance of a normal life.

He didn't want that for Stiles, not that it was Derek's fault. Both boys had been very honest about the fact that they didn't know what to do with their relationship and they weren't moving fast but Noah's gut clenched in fear of just supporting them both.

"Noah? I know you aren't a patient of mine but I can't help but think that you are going to make a decision that might do more harm than good."

"How am I supposed to just let this relationship between them happen?"

"It's already happening, Derek is in your house and he's your son's alpha. Derek has done everything he could to make sure you know that he respects you, Stiles and your rules. Don't make this about Stiles; make it about you—seeing a young man who needs a man like you in his life. Don't leave him alone to stumble around. It could cost all of you so much more than you are willing to give up."

Noah groaned, "Okay, I'll think about it. I have to go to Eichen House and speak to Peter Hale now, definitely not my most favorite Hale."

Siobhan chuckled, "I can understand that. Let me know what you find out from Dr. Deaton and Mr. Hale."

"Will do," Noah said and hung up the call. He started the cruiser and headed to the mental institution, it was about fifteen minute drive and he pulled into one of the parking spaces and walked inside. Noah showed his badge and asked for Dr. Fenris who was his contact when Peter Hale was transferred into the containment unit. He was invited into a small office and nodded to the man.

"I need to speak with Peter Hale," he stated, slipping his thumb into the link of his belt.

Dr. Fenris frowned, "Sheriff Stilinski, I don't think that is a good idea."

"Too bad, I need to speak to him and I can go get a warrant but that would essentially out your little jail system here and I don't think you want that."

"Sheriff, we need this system. It's important that these creatures remain behind closed doors. Doors that are capable of holding them inside."

"Then you will make it as safe as possible but I am seeing Mr. Hale. I'll wait here while you get everything in order or I can make a call to the judge for the warrant."

Dr. Fenris breathed deep and sighed, "Fine. Give me a few minutes."

"I'll make another call while you are doing that," Noah stated as he waved his hand and pulled up Dr. Deaton's information and called.

"Alan Deaton speaking, how can I help you?" the vet asked.

"Dr. Deaton, this is Sheriff Stilinski. I have some inquiries for you in regards to a case, may I stop by in about an hour or so?" He had no intention of getting into on the phone when it would be easier to read the man if they were together.

"Of course Sheriff but as you know, I am only a veterinarian. I don't know if I can really help you."

Noah rolled his eyes, "Yeah we all know that your are _only_ a vet. I will stop by the office later?"

"Sounds good Sheriff."

Noah hung up the phone and started shedding his belt and jacket, slipping the phone into the pocket. Dr. Fenris walked back into the room with a container and Noah slipped all of his stuff into it and they locked it away. Noah just kept a pen and his notepad and followed the doctor down one of the hallways and walked into a room with Peter sitting on one side with his hands in handcuffs stuck to the underside of the table.

Peter looked over as he walked into the room and smiled listlessly, "Sheriff Stilinski, what an interesting surprise."

"Mr. Hale, I have a couple of questions. It was suggested that I come speak to you. Are you willing to help, maybe it will help bring Derek around to possibly come see you."

Peter snorted, "As if that would matter to me. He left me just as much as Derek did. I mean Laura, dammit! They abandoned me!" he snarled, but it was slow and tired rather than menacing and he couldn't miss the slip either. Noah frowned; he'd seen this man fighting with others and faced off with hunters and Derek. He buried Stiles in the rotted out floorboards but this guy in front of him was a hollow version of the alpha who'd murdered many people before being taken out.

Noah sat down across from him and started with something else first. Maybe if Peter thought he was sympathetic to his situation, Peter would be more likely to share, "You killed Laura for the power though?"

Peter shrugged, "I laid a trap to get her home, I needed the power but do you know what its like to lose everything and be stuck in your own body? No, you wouldn't know. They left me in a hospital, alone and trapped in a broken shell. I killed her because she abandoned me and I needed the power to get my revenge. The revenge that was denied to me."

"We are still looking for Kate," Noah responded.

"Like you are going to burn her alive when you find her, so what do I care."

"And Derek, your nephew?"

"What about him?" Peter asked, moving his hands like he was trying to loosen the links. Everything held and there was a sizzle of burning flesh in the room. He was being held by silver, which made sense; Peter would have been able to break out of anything else.

"He's the alpha now, he needs some help. We need information, do something right and support your last surviving family member."

"I love Derek, you know," Peter said with a sigh, "He was my little buddy. I was closer in age to him than my sister and he idolized me. And I am more than a little ashamed to say that I used it when he was younger. I don't hate him like I hated Laura, she was clearly the person who decided to run and when I saw Derek again I didn't want him to die. I wanted him to be free because I sought and found revenge. I let him have the power because he needed it almost as much as I wanted to survive the night. So even though I shouldn't care, I miss him and need him to be okay. He's the last Hale standing. Derek is our family's last chance to reclaim this territory so if you are here for him then I will attempt to be helpful. What do you need?"

"Did your sister know other alphas? We need some information from someone with more experience when turning people into werewolves and the process. Derek doesn't seem to remember much about that."

"My sister knew a lot of alphas," Peter snorted and started counting off on his fingers from where they were cuffed in front of him. "Deucalion, Ennis, Kali and Satomi."

Sheriff rolled his eyes as he wrote down the names, "How would I get in touch with these alphas?"

"Don't get into contact with Deucalion, he's a nutbag and he's been on this crazy bend for years now. Ennis and Kali are Looney tunes who tend to follow Deucalion; the only one that still may be supportive of the Hale line is Satomi Ito. I don't know how to contact her but she was a good ally of my sister, they were much like cousins. We frequently celebrated moon runs and holidays with each other, Talia's husband originated in Satomi's pack so it was like extended family. I would imagine that when Laura decided to run, she didn't think of running to the Ito pack because she was young and dumb."

"Thank you, I will let Derek know that you were helpful," he moved to get up and Peter jerked forward with an apparent whining hiss as his wrists jerked against the chains holding him down.

"Please don't leave yet!"

Noah frowned, "What?"

"I'm in solitary here, I'm a werewolf and I need contact. Please just five more minutes! Tell me about Derek and everything! Please?" Peter was desperate, hunched into his chair uncomfortably. Noah took a deep breath and sat back down.

He told Peter about Derek and Stiles, the other betas. Noah mentioned Stiles' self defense and Echo, the dog he had to get to survive what happened to him. He talked about the wolf pack nights in his living room and back yard, and about all the time he was spending with kids in the house.

He watched as Peter loosened up and remembered that Peter was saying that this would be worse than death and he understood for the first time why Derek was always touching the betas and Stiles is always touching Derek. They _really_ needed to be in contact with each other. To Noah it had looked like a reminder of control between Derek and the betas but what it really was is support and tactile sensation of togetherness. He needed to get educated about the werewolves, especially if they were going to be living in his house. Stiles would be thrilled to have someone who was willing to listen to him.

After another fifteen minutes of talking and being talked to by Peter who apparently knew just as much ridiculous things about the world as Stiles did times twenty, Noah stood to leave. He reached over and pressed his hand to the man's shoulder, "Take care Peter."

Peter rubbed into the contact for a second then the doctor and the orderly was there to take Peter back to his cell. Noah walked back to Dr. Fenris's office and retrieved the rest of his belongings, patting himself down when he realized his pen wasn't back in his pocket where Noah was sure he'd put it.

Noah shrugged if off and loaded back into the cruiser and drove to the vet clinic to meet with Deaton. He walked in the front and looked around just as the other man walked out of his office, "Sheriff."

"Deaton, is this still a good time?"

"Please," Deaton said with an inviting smile. They walked back into the office and Noah looked around, noticing the things that were clearly _not_ for his vet clinic, strange bottles with labels in different languages and pictographs.

"I know you know a lot about the supernatural community, more than I know anyway and I need some assistance. We have had two dead bodies, seems to have been paralyzed with a surgical cut with some sort of residue in the wound to the back of the neck and then ripped apart from the belly to the chest. The wounds are ragged and look like a bear attack or something. The unique aspect seems to be the paralytic. Do you know what it might be?"

"I know there are compendiums of information, mostly in the hands of the hunters. What you speak of doesn't sound like anything I have encountered but the hunters keep track of their exploits for future generations and they don't share information with outsiders or the supernaturally inclined. I believe it is because they gain so much of their information through nefarious means. My job once was to stand as a Druid and Emissary to the Hale pack, it is much like a balancing act that we perform but it had nothing to do with other creatures in the world unless those creatures faced off against the pack that we cared for. Until the fire, no one had ever considered taking on the Hale land because it was well cared for by Talia and her family. She had strong alliances with other alphas and so I believe that she was lulled into a false sense of security. It was something that was clearly used against her but again; the Hale's were safe and strong for generations. Then the fire happened."

Noah thought of Derek's hunched shoulders, his self-hatred and anger. It was no wonder he was so destroyed by the fire. None of them had been concerned, not even Talia. It also left him with nothing for the current situation, nothing but the hunters. Something he didn't want to use. Chris Argent wasn't his biggest fan; he had still sided with his sister in the end. Argent had also had his gun taken away because he'd been brandishing it at the school. It wasn't a good start to a possible useful relationship but he had to try.

"Well be aware that something is out there killing people and I need to find out any information I can to stop it. Will you look into it?"

Deaton nodded, "I will try."

Noah thanked him again and decided to head back to the station for the rest of his shift. He considered again what the connection could be between the kid Bennett and Richard Carter and decided to look a little closer into Carter's past and see if there was anything there. He would need to figure out Bennett's last name since the man wasn't carrying ID with him and no one had come to claim the body. If he was one of Argent's cronies, then the other hunter might have more information.

He needed to talk to Derek and the others before he knocked on the hunter's door especially since they still didn't know one of the pack members was living under their roof. Noah's next steps were going to require a lot of finesse. Something he was good at when the situation called for it, though his son didn't seem capable of it, nor did he seem inclined to keep his nose out of the issue. Noah was on borrowed time to keep this under control.


	13. A Father's Care

**Chapter Thirteen: A Father's Care**

 **Author's Note: Enjoy, I would love comments if you see something you really like.**

After getting the message about Stiles being pulled in to speak to the other counselor Derek turned the Camaro around and headed for the school, confusing Boyd who was sitting in the passenger seat after they got his admission paperwork. He wasn't going to start at the high school until the next week.

"Alpha?" he asked.

"Please don't call me that," Derek snarled then tried to shake off the anxiety as Boyd's shoulders curled inward at his tone. He reached out and pressed a comforting hand to Boyd's shoulder, "I'm sorry. It seems that the other counselor in the school is apparently trying to scare Stiles out of the pack. I know she mentioned The Demon Wolf the last time I was there with Dr. Marcus though I haven't been able to find anything on the Demon Wolf."

He scented and felt the way Boyd's body stiffened next to him and turned to look at him. Boyd was incredibly attuned to Derek's moods, like Allison was but she felt comfortable enough with him while Boyd was still finding his way. He tended towards the more submissive beta role though he didn't look like someone who should be submissive. Then he gritted out, "You said the Demon Wolf?"

Derek nodded, "Do you know something?"

"The guy who turned me, Bas; he was turning people because he found out that the Demon Wolf was going to come and recruit him. Bas didn't think he would have enough power to take on the guy which led to the biting without consent thing."

"What does the Demon Wolf do?" Derek frowned.

"He collects alphas, if they are willing to kill their pack and become one of his cronies great. If they don't comply, he attacks the alpha, kills his/her betas then he sells the power off to the highest bidder."

Derek pulled the Camaro off to the side of the road and turned towards Boyd, "How do the other alphas not know about him? How is it possible that my family was burned to death for doing nothing but existing but there is a psycho alpha who is killing alphas and selling their powers off to the highest bidder?"

Boyd shook his head, his whole body shrugging in an anxious motion, "I don't know. Maybe because the world is sometimes overflowing with awful people and bad things happen to good people."

Derek leaned forward, pressing his head on the steering wheel while he tried to swallow around the lump in his throat. He blinked away the tears gathering in his eyes and figured the only thing he could do was focus on now. What would it mean if the Demon Wolf came here? First though, he needed to make sure his pack mates were okay.

"I need to make sure this lady doesn't come after the others," Derek informed his beta as he pulled the car back out on the road and drove towards the school. Derek parked the car and they both stepped out, Boyd taking up position just behind Derek's right shoulder and he took a deep surprised breath at the rightness of it. Positioning, both physically and metaphorical is incredibly important in a wolf pack. They both walked inside and headed for the office, Derek held himself back trying not to just rush behind the counter and cause a scene.

"Derek? Are you okay?" Dr. Marcus asked as she came out of her office. He didn't want to know why she knew he was there or how but this was better than a scene. Derek could speak to Dr. Marcus and they would figure this out.

"I need to know what happened with Stiles and Morrell."

The lady manning the phones looked between them anxiously, her scent souring from that kind of business anxiety that a lot of retail workers wear when they don't know what to do and they are worried not knowing is going to cost them something.

Dr. Marcus just nodded and Derek walked around the counter, with Boyd in tow, which was one step to far for the secretary, "Excuse me?"

"Julia, it's okay. Mr. Hale and Mr. Boyd are both my responsibility, I will speak to them. Thank you."

Julia nodded and they walked into Dr. Marcus's office and Derek settled into the chair, while his back remained a rigid line and Boyd stood behind him, hands folded in front of him.

Dr. Marcus looked at them both and nodded in understanding of something, "Boyd, are you here to stand with your alpha?"

Boyd nodded.

"Alpha Hale, may your beta sit at your side?" Dr. Marcus asked in that gentle leading tone that asked him to realize the kind of instincts that Boyd and the others had. It was kind of similar to the training Stiles was undergoing to work well with Echo; it was hard to remember that he was going to have to do the same.

"Yes of course, please be seated Boyd. If you would be more comfortable?"

Boyd nodded once before he sat down in the other chair and Derek pressed a comforting hand to his upper arm.

"So Stiles texted you," Dr. Marcus stated.

Derek nodded, "Yes, I'm concerned that this other woman thinks that she should come in and warn off my pack mates, especially while she chooses to serve the guy who calls himself 'The Demon Wolf'."

"Stiles took care of himself and I am keeping an eye on her, the problem with it is—she's a teacher here. She has the background for being a student counselor, so I can't bar her from any of your betas because I don't actually have the status of a school counselor. We will just have to play it by ear. Though I'm sure Stiles has warned the others already."

"And the Demon Wolf?" Derek asked, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

"We will be learning more, but you won't be doing that by threatening or attempting to get more information from Miss Morrell here on school grounds where she has a right to be and you do not. Trust your betas to be able to take everything you have taught them, everything they have learned to handle whatever Miss Morrell would like to throw at them. Scott and Jackson have served their sessions with me, I can't force them to come back at this point so just let them know what's going on best you can and prepare your pack."

"Prepare for what?" Derek snapped, "Prepare for this guy to come into town and destroy the pack I just got. We aren't strong enough to fight them, not yet. We need more time."

"Well we don't know when the Demon Wolf is coming and right now, what you need is more information so I suggest you find it. Okay?"

"Where would you suggest I do that?"

Dr. Marcus gave him a patient look; he wanted to throttle her. "As much as I can understand the misgivings you have with trusting others you need to talk directly to someone other than me. Part of the reason your mother was such a strong alpha wasn't because of her ability to full shift; it was her ability to make friends and contacts in the community. Now go find some."

With that she waved them off, Derek led Boyd out of the office and into the hallway and wished he could pull Stiles out of class so he could hug him. Derek knew that wasn't possible, plus it would just worry Stiles needlessly. He would have to wait till later to get some contact and scent marking, for now he had homework to do.

Derek sighed as they walked back to the Camaro.

"What's up?" Boyd asked as they slid into the car.

"I don't know who to talk to, I don't know how to find the connections when I only ever knew my family," Derek snorted in self deprecation, "You sure you want to hitch your wagon to my pack?"

Boyd rolled his eyes as Derek started the engine and they started out of the school lot, "I'm not here because you're some perfect hotshot that I am going to follow until he screws up. I am here because you aren't going to try and control me and you care about my needs as well as your own. I don't care if you screw it up from time to time, even lots of times as long as you don't forget that we need you as much as you need us."

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to need you more," Derek gritted out.

Boyd nodded, "Probably."

Derek chuckled at his response as they headed back to town and as Derek drove up to pass the Sheriff's station he thought of what Dr. Marcus has said. Find connections. The first connection he had in this town may not be supernatural but it was valuable. Stiles's dad was a good man, and an excellent detective so maybe he would have some place to start. "Do you want to head back to the house for a while? I think I have some groveling to do—well more groveling anyway."

Boyd snorted, "Are you talking about the Sheriff, your boyfriend's dad?"

"I'm not going to see him as my 'boyfriend's dad', I need contacts and he's a good place to start. At least he won't shoot me on contact or attempt to kill me for my power."

"Yeah, I'll go back to the house for the afternoon. If you end up being gone for a while, I can keep an eye on Stiles."

Derek kept driving towards the Stilinski house and tried to remember what was on the schedule for the afternoon. Stiles mentioned something about staying after to see the Lacrosse practice with Allison and Lydia then he was driving over to the gun range and then back to his self-defense. Stiles was going to be with other people for most of the afternoon then they would be having dinner and possible movie night.

"If you want to be with him, listen to his yammering then go for it though I would reconsider going into the gun range because of the noise unless you've had time to work through what its like to hear gunshots."

Boyd shrugged and that was the end of it, Derek didn't want to make any 'orders' with his betas unless it was necessary so he left Boyd alone. Derek pulled up in front of the house and handed his house key to Boyd, then watched until the young werewolf was inside before backing out of the drive. He took the quickest route back to the Sheriff's department, parked the Camaro in the lot and walked up to the door hesitantly thinking about all the trouble his family had been after they got back into town. Between Peter's killing everyone and Derek's issues with Scott and Stiles, he didn't think walking into the station was going to win him any favors but that's where the Sheriff was so that's where he needed to go.

Derek paused for only a second before he pushed open the door and walked up to the front counter to see the young female deputy behind the desk and wondered if she ended up sitting there more than the men on the force because she was a woman but that was none of his business.

"Hi," he said with a smile hoping it didn't look too scary and when she looked up, her eyes widened in recognition so he soldiered on before she could invite him to leave, "I'm here to see Sheriff Stilinski. Is he available for a couple minutes?"

She looked around nervously but then picked up the phone and pressed a couple of buttons to connect, "Yes sir, I have a –"

"Derek Hale," he answered in the silence even though she knew who he was.

"Yes okay, Derek Hale is here to see you."

He could hear Stilinski on the other end of the phone, "Send him back please. Good timing actually."

She hung up and led him back through the station to Stilinski's office. The sheriff waved him in and the deputy closed the door behind her while Derek sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk and waited.

"Derek, what brings you here? Don't you normally stick pretty close to home?"

He wished for a second that Stilinski actually meant that _home_ the way his mother and family had always meant it. Instead it was Stiles and Noah's home, he was just bringing a pack of werewolves and issues into their home.

"I think there is more going on here, someone tried to convince Stiles to leave the pack today at school. She mentioned an alpha that's referred to as the Demon Wolf. I need to get some more information and I was wondering if maybe," he waffled for a moment the pushed on, "You could be one of my contacts or something. I need to start somewhere and you are a smart man and a good officer."

The Sheriff leaned back in his chair with a frown but he didn't smell angry or frustrated, it was more befuddled so he waited. The Sheriff took a deep breath and started, "I went to speak to your uncle today."

Derek flinched backwards so hard he tilted the chair back and just barely caught himself before he ended up on the floor. "Why?"

"Because like you, I was looking for answers, for a few different questions and I needed them from someone who'd been around the block a little more than you."

Derek leaned forward to press his fingers into his closed eyelids and rubbed down his face, "You went to him! He killed my sister! He killed a bunch of people!"

"That is true and he is serving a well deserved sentence but I needed information that you wouldn't have had yet. I was going to talk to you about this tonight but I also spoke to Deaton about the murders recently and Dr. Marcus about contacts that she might have but Peter was the best bet and I knew exactly how to get to him so I did."

Derek tried to calm his breathing, trying to figure out why he was so freaked at the possibility of Stilinski talking to his uncle. "Did you go because you'd rather deal with him than me?"

"What? No!" Stilinski barked out in frustration. "Derek I went because you have only being doing this alpha thing for a couple of weeks and I needed to talk to someone who was a grown up before the fire."

Derek crossed his arms, belligerent, "Well Peter was barely a grown up then either."

Stilinski nodded, "That's true but as the brother to the alpha, he had more information than you would have being the age you were. Unless I completely misjudged you and you were aware of your mother's other alpha contacts?"

Derek squirmed because he didn't know any other alphas; he'd been into Paige, then Kate and making awful deadly mistakes when Laura was learning to be an alpha. God, he missed her. "I didn't know any contacts," he muttered after a minute.

Stilinski leaned forward, pressing his elbows into the table, "Derek this isn't a negative. You were a teenager; you were going through some stuff yourself. I just wanted to have some options for you."

Derek shrugged and lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. The Sheriff leaned back again, the chair squeaking the only sound other than their breathing and the mumble of the work happening outside the room. He thought about all the work he'd done with Dr. Marcus, even her final words to him today that she couldn't be the only one he talked to. Derek didn't think that was fair since he talked to Stiles and the betas as well. Then again, they were teenagers so it wasn't exactly what Dr. Marcus was talking about. "Sir," he started discomfited by the demand that he talk to people more these days. Derek didn't want to talk to more people, that was just more people who could turn on him or he could get killed in the long run.

 _'That's right baby, that's all your good for. Death.'_ Derek shivered under the onslaught of her voice in his head. After all these years, Kate could still get to him whenever she wanted.

"Derek? You okay?" the Sheriff asked.

"Letting people in is hard," Derek choked out, pressing his hands deeply into the pockets of the leather jacket. "Laura sheltered me, kept us apart from people who could hurt us or get hurt by us."

Sheriff Stilinski kept watching him quietly, saying nothing while the words settled between them. Then he got up and walked around the desk to sit next to Derek on the other chair and reached out for him then aborted the movement. Derek hunched inward, his body a tense line just waiting to be hurt.

Then the layer of Stilinski determination layered over top of the Sheriff's scent and he reached out again, pressing a hand over Derek's shoulder and squeezed lightly. Derek leaned slightly into the touch and waited for it to be taken away like everything else.

"Derek, I want you to listen to me. Can you do that?"

He nodded, gripping his fists tightly inside his pockets, trying to keep the wolf back. Trying desperately not to fall for the comfort Stilinski was offering him, because then he wouldn't survive it being taken away. Derek was already dreading the minute that Stiles would walk away or worse, die because he was with Derek. He couldn't lose another father, even if it wasn't his.

"You don't have to be alone anymore but also you don't have to always be the one with answers. Your mother was a good alpha, she had contacts and friends but a couple people have said that she was overly confident and that's the reason the fire happened and its true. We will be vigilant but you don't have to be alone."

"I'm an alpha, I have to know how to protect them," Derek struggled to say, choking on the lump in his throat. Derek closed his eyes, sure that they were flashing red even while his claws started digging into his palms and the tattered inside of the pockets. He jerked his fists out of the pockets, getting caught in the fabric for a second before they were fisted in his lap, hidden from anyone's view.

"Do you think someone has to have all the answers to be an alpha or a leader or a Sheriff?" Stilinski asked and the flash of logic calmed Derek like nothing else could. He stopped and his eyes went back to their normal color and his claws receded, leaving behind the sheen of blood on his shaking palms. The wounds were already healing. He looked over at the Sheriff again as the older man smiled gently, "I don't have all the answers and this is an elected position. I promise you, Derek, you can do this and you don't need to have all the answers."

Derek cleared his throat, "What did you find?"

Stilinski squeezed Derek's shoulder again before he reached in and pulled out the little notebook he always carried around with him and opened to one of the pages and hummed a little before he started, "Okay so I asked around and it doesn't seem like Deaton or Dr. Marcus had any knowledge about what could be killing people, Peter didn't know either. Several people stated that we are more likely to find more information from the hunters then Emissaries or alphas but that, I do have some information on." Stilinski flipped back a couple of pages.

"About other alphas?" Derek asked for clarity.

Stilinski nodded, "Yeah, your uncle mentioned a couple different alphas that he'd met before the fire but the one that he thought might be your best bet on getting information is Satomi Ito, she was an ally of your mother and she is supposedly close by."

Derek nodded, "I recognize the name, do you have details for her?"

"No," Stilinski shook his head, "Not yet but I am going to be looking into it and I have a favor to ask you when you do meet with her?"

"A favor?" Derek frowned. "At this point you can pretty much ask for anything and I can't say no."

"No," Stilinski barked shortly then pressed that comforting hand back on Derek's shoulder, "You can say no because this directly affects you and your betas."

"Well, I guess you better tell me," Derek sighed.

"There's this girl that Melissa McCall, Scott's mom, asked me about. Her name is Erica Reyes and she has a really bad case of epilepsy, I watched her having an attack and Melissa wanted to see if she might be someone you would consider turning in light of what happened with Scott's asthma. I was wondering if you could as Alpha Ito if being turned would help with epilepsy and then depending on the answer, consider adding her to your pack."

Derek considered it for a moment then nodded, "I'll consider it. Is she someone who Stiles would know?"

Sheriff shook his head, "From what I have found out, she's homeschooled because of the severity of the disease. We do have access to Melissa, who is the one who asked. I don't need to add Scott into this; I have a friendship and a good reason to seek out Melissa and the girl. So for now, just consider it. Maybe talk to Stiles about it but you don't have to make a decision about it now."

Derek nodded, "If everything I've heard about this Demon Wolf guy is true, we are going to need all the help we can get. Thank you for finding the information for me. I appreciate it."

Stilinski sat back, "Demon Wolf?"

Derek looked around the room like it was going to protect him from the man's stare then turned back with a sigh and started, "I only know a little."

"Then we start there," Stilinski said with a sigh and opened his little notebook to a fresh page.

At lunchtime, Stiles met up with Allison and Lydia while Jackson and Danny slunk in close behind. Stiles stared at them in surprise but Jackson just ignored him as he sat down at the table next to Lydia with Danny on his other side. Stiles was sitting at the other end of the small table because Echo couldn't be shoved under the table, she was too big and it was not conducive to her being able to do her job.

"Did Miss Morrell call any of you into the office?" Stiles asked as soon as everyone was settled. He opened his bottled water as they all shook their heads and Danny looked around in confusion so Stiles considered what he was going to say next. "Well be careful with her, she's clearly up to something."

"She's a counselor, maybe she just wanted to check on you," Danny interjected.

"Uh huh," Jackson chimed in, "Since when has she cared about Stilinski. Everyone knows that he's too smart for his own good but will never amount to much because he's too busy focused on something other than his education."

Stiles snorted, "Maybe you should consider that being the best at Lacrosse isn't going to get you far in life, Jackass—I mean Jackson."

"The love at this table is just too much for me, I gotta go to the library. I'll see you last period Jackson?" Danny asked as he got up again.

Jackson nodded though he was still glaring down at Stiles. When Danny was far enough away, Stiles leaned forward and asked, "What are you doing here Jackson? You haven't paid us any attention in weeks."

"He knows, you know…" Jackson whispered.

"What?" Stiles, Lydia and Allison all snapped at him.

"Danny grew up in Beacon Hills like the rest of us, he's smart enough to search the footage of Peter last year and draw his own conclusions plus he heard more than a couple of Stiles and Scott's not so subtle conversations in the hall. I didn't tell him about Derek or Scott or Allison though Stiles is a question mark because you're hanging with us instead of Scott. I told him that I was attacked when Peter was on his murder spree and I'm something different. He has the video, though he's pretty sure there is something missing from it."

"Dammit Jackson, we might as well put out a newsletter about this!" He paused, rubbing a hand over his head and asked, "Why didn't you tell us there was something missing from the video? That means someone else tampered with the tape!"

"Because I'm not planning on sticking around in this little club. I don't even know what I was thinking, joining you for lunch but Danny missed you guys so I said yes."

"Well don't be a stranger," Lydia said kindly even as Jackson struggled to get up from the table and flounce away. Jackson glared at her then something softened in his features and his eyes glowed gold for a second before he closed his eyes and shook it off.

"I want to say 'good job' but you're not supposed to do that here," Stiles chuckled.

He growled a werewolf growl, causing some nearby students to stop and stare at him, causing Stiles to burst out laughing, "We will just have to work on that later with Derek."

Jackson rolled his eyes and walked away.

"Maybe Miss Morrell only called you in because you are going to get yourself killed and it probably is going to be Jackson doing the killing," Lydia said with a haughty sniff while she barely contained a smile.

"You're just as human, hanging with the 'grrr' inclined," Stiles grinned and took a big bite of his apple.

"Yeah but I am not going out looking for trouble like you do. Apparently you being your annoying self it one of the few things that can get Jackson to shift, at some point he's going to lash out and you are going to get killed."

"Has everyone forgotten the multiple times I dropped Jackson and Allison on their butts during work outs?"

Allison giggled, "We are also not going to purposefully hurt you."

"You think Jackson Whittmore cares if he hurts me?" Stiles asked, brow raised.

"Fair point," Allison returned as she nibbled on her salad then her gaze shifted away from him and the conversation and Stiles didn't need to know who just walked into the cafeteria.

"Why don't you talk to him?" Stiles asked her.

"Mostly, because he's been a jerk but also my dad knows that he's 'special' and it would put us all at risk."

Stiles reached out and gripped Allison's wrist gently in comfort, she pressed her other hand over his for a moment then they went back to eating. Lydia watching them both with sharp eyes before she turned to Stiles, "Well if Danny knows, that's better for us anyway. It means that Jackson has his best friend and I know better than anyone that Jackson is most likely going to listen to Danny."

Stiles nodded but glanced over to where Scott was smiling and laughing with Isaac and a few of the other Lacrosse guys, "Then again I thought being best friends with Scott would mean that would happen for us too. Look where that got us?"

"But Scott is one of those happy puppies, he was bound to find a stand-in. Jackson won't be able to do that, he's too…" she paused then frowned, "Abrasive."

"Douche canoe is the word you're looking for," Stiles grinned and Allison almost snorted water out through her nose. She coughed, covering her mouth while she shoved Stiles playfully. Echo was so familiar with her that she didn't even rise to check him. She just panted happily at him as they finished their lunch and headed to their next class.

When he walked back to the field where they were having practice, Stiles was momentarily surprised when he saw Boyd sitting with the girls but just settled next to them to watch practice and cheer for their team. He tried really hard not to be annoyed when Boyd followed him out to the jeep, declaring that he was going to join Stiles for the afternoon. Then again, Derek wasn't here to it shouldn't have been surprising that his new beta was taking his alpha's needs into consideration.

Stiles just let them both into the jeep and headed for the gun range, planning to be in there for an extra fifteen minutes to work off the annoyance at having a new werewolf shadow.

He would talk to Derek about it later when they were alone.


	14. Hale Dynamics and Mechanics

**Chapter Fourteen: Hale Dynamics and Mechanics**

 **Author's Note: Tell me what you are loving about this story. I love getting comments and reviews. Thanks!**

Derek wasn't able to really sit down with everyone until after school on Tuesday. The Sheriff had been able to find a phone number and an address for Satomi and Monday is normally a busy day for everyone. Stiles was working on his homework, while Boyd worked on some of the work he needed to catch up with the term. Lydia and Allison were studying in the living room and giggling every couple of minutes. Derek was pretty sure they were looking at Pinterest or something instead of working. Jackson was in the backyard practicing his shift with Boyd while Sheriff worked in the home office. Derek worked on chopping some vegetables for the chicken stir fry they were making for dinner when he called out.

"Okay quick meeting please, everyone in the living room."

Stiles looked up in surprise then they all piled into the living room, even Jackson who leaned against the wall just inside the living room. Lydia and Allison were on the couch and they jerked Stiles down next to them while Boyd slumped into the other chair. Derek knew that the Sheriff could hear them and he would join when he needed to.

"Did anyone else get called in to see Morrell?" he started.

Everyone shook his or her heads except Stiles who did nothing, just tuck his hand around one of Allison's.

"Okay, so as we already said, be wary of her. She knew about me and about Stiles's connection to me. She might come after you guys, try to convince you to do who knows what. If that happens, just let me know okay?"

They all nodded.

"Okay, so the biggest need we have right now is more information so the Sheriff has found some information on other alphas and there is one that might still be around and willing to help us. Satomi Ito. I am planning a day trip to go see her, taking Boyd since he doesn't have school until next week. We are going to build some contacts for this pack because something is coming."

"The Demon Wolf?" Stiles asked.

Derek nodded, "From what sources say which are more rumor than anything else. The Demon Wolf collects alphas. And the ones he can't control, he kills. He's left other packs decimated and I don't want us to be another in the way. So if there are connections or suggestions to make us stronger as a pack or anything, please let me know. We are going to be on the lookout for more information about the Demon Wolf as well as the creature that murdered the two men so far. This is not going to be getting in the way of your schoolwork but I am also not going to turn away your help. Stiles, maybe we can look into the two deaths and see if there is a connection?"

Stiles nodded enthusiastically and Derek smiled at him.

"Allison, do you think you could talk to your family about any information they have about the creature? Since you are 'in training' it shouldn't come as a shock to them that you are asking?"

Allison nodded then tapped her free hand to her chin with a smile, "I might also be able to find a way to get Stiles into training, even Lydia though that's going to be a tougher sell."

Lydia snorted, "I am not going to learn to fight, I'm only here because I don't want to miss out on all the juicy supernatural stuff. I have no intention of getting into the middle of a fight."

"What about the high school that night with Peter?" Stiles asked, "When Allison got bit?"

"What are you saying?" Lydia asked, crossing her arms.

"Allison, Jackson and Scott didn't plan to get bit. They didn't plan to get into the middle of a war between hunters and shifters but now they're here. What about you? Do you think you are going to avoid the fight no matter what?"

Lydia sniffed, "Yes, I do. There hasn't been anything except the scare in the woods. I just won't go with you guys when you go running. Places that you might end up against the creature."

Derek sighed, "Lydia, no one is going to make you do anything you don't want to do. Just make sure if one of us says to stay behind, you do it. I didn't have to deal with a lot of contention growing up but we had humans in our pack and they just stayed together on full moons and things like that. I want you to stay if that's what you want."

Allison grabbed Lydia around the shoulders, "Please don't go Lyds, I don't want to lose you too."

Lydia smiled at her friend, "I'm not going anywhere. I will keep out of the dangerous parts of town, we'll be fine."

Derek nodded and carried on, "You think you can get your dad to train Stiles?"

"He was kidnapped and tortured by Kate and Peter, if anyone would be primed to be a hunter, its Stiles."

"How are you going to explain that he's been seen with me and that he's best friends with Scott?"

Allison shrugged and grinned, "Its Aunt Kate's fault that he got hurt, I can sway my dad and he can sway my mom. She's aggressive and just as crazy anti-werewolf as my aunt and grandfather are but she cares about my dad so he can usually figure it out."

"The hunters are going to be our best bet to learn how to fight someone supernaturally stronger than us," Stiles added. "Plus, if we are more involved legitimately with the hunters, maybe we will have a well of information there."

"Not to mention, maybe he'll figure out that werewolves aren't the worst thing to be," Allison murmured. Derek watched as Stiles and Lydia tugged her into a hug from both sides. Boyd leaned over and pressed a hand to her foot where it was draped over Lydia's lap. Derek moved to kneel down in front of her and pressed a hand over Stiles and Allison.

"Being a werewolf doesn't make you an animal. It doesn't make you a monster."

"It does to them," Allison sniffed and Derek just held her hand while the others closed ranks around her. "They make," Allison, stuttered, "They make hunters kill themselves if they get bit. No one was ever friendly enough with a werewolf to fight back, just me. I don't know of any other hunter to ever be turned and live as a werewolf."

Stiles snorted and everyone turned to glare at him, "Sorry, its just that I'm pretty sure that's a load of shit. You think they are going to train the new hunters about the ones that became werewolves and actually preferred that to death. Death pacts aren't really going to work if the thing you supposedly hate is now living in Alaska with his or her pack and enjoying the lifestyle so just try not to drink the crappy Kool-Aid on this one."

Allison chuckled, breaking the tension and Derek just thanked his normally unlucky stars that Stiles stuck around even after Derek tried to scare him off. Sometimes his straightforward no-holds-barred was a good thing to have. It was enough to remind Allison that were parents and family were obviously more than happy spreading falsity and half-truths for the sake of their progeny and legacy. After some more snuggles they all separated and went back to studying. Derek gladly went outside and sparred with Jackson and Boyd. They were both getting really good and Jackson shifted a couple of times even without Lydia or Stiles berating him so when Jackson decided to leave Derek just patted the beta's shoulder and sent him on his way. Inside, Stiles was watching Buffy with Lydia and Allison. Boyd just rolled his eyes at the choice and went into to sit on the chair and Derek joined them. Stiles had decided that none of them were allowed to be his friends unless they watched the greatest show in television history. The rest of them sighed and agreed to two or three episodes a week so they could watch other things as well but they had all agreed it was a good show so they had already watched two episodes the night before.

Stiles happily dragged Derek down onto the couch then sat on Derek's lap. Allison shifted closer with Lydia contently bring up the other end of the couch. Stiles playful interlocked their fingers a couple of times before he blurted out, "I need to take the jeep in to be serviced tomorrow and I would love it if I didn't have an escort."

Derek frowned at him, "What?"

"I don't need you to go with me to the mechanic, okay?"

"Okay, you should be fine there. It's a public place and you're going to have Echo."

"Not going to send Boyd or someone after me?" Stiles asked even as he scratched at the short hairs at the back of Derek's neck, making him shift into the contact and sigh happily.

"No Stiles, I'm not going to send someone after you when you take your jeep to the mechanic."

"Thank you," Stiles returned with a grin and they went back to watching a ridiculously petite blonde kicking ass of all manor of evil creatures. Derek bit the inside of his cheek, desperately trying not to argue with the fiction on screen in front of him. To be fair, he didn't know if vampires were real but they seemed to be easily dispatched but he didn't want to attempt to stay awake through another Buffy related lecture before bed tonight so he stayed silent.

When the second episode finished for the evening, Derek got up and put Stiles's feet on the ground as he shooed the rest of the pack out the door. It was still early but they weren't trying to stay out late during weeknights for more than parental reasons. He didn't want Allison's parents to become suspicious of her whereabouts but he also didn't want any of them doing poorly in school because they were out late the night before.

Tomorrow, Derek and Boyd were going to be traveling to see Satomi Ito if she's willing to see him. Derek didn't enjoy the idea of leaving the rest of the pack behind but they had school and Lacrosse and apparently meetings with mechanics tomorrow. He needed to speak with Ito sooner rather than later so they were prepared for the three-hour drive to her pack lands. He didn't know how he felt about the Reyes girl but if there was a chance that becoming a werewolf might be better for her and he briefed her about everything else, Derek knew he would have a third pack member that wasn't actively looking for a way out like Jackson still did. Even week's later Jackson was still saying that he wasn't staying long term; this was just until he could control the shift.

Derek couldn't force him to stay, he wouldn't do what his uncle tried to do to him and Scott but if others were coming to force his hand then he needed some strong pack mates. So it was on the list of questions that Derek had prepared for Satomi.

With the long day in mind, he settled down for his nightly routine, checked on Boyd before he walked into Stiles's room and changed into his sweats and stripped down to a tank. He didn't want to sleep as a wolf and Echo was more than happy to sleep on the floor as long as she was between Stiles and the door and since Stiles slept next to the wall it worked out for all of them. They both fit on the bed as long as they were willing to be close which was fine with both Derek and Stiles so he'd chosen to sleep as a man every now and again when they both needed the contact. Stiles came in a few minutes later, smelling minty fresh and slid across the bed to tuck in. He smiled at Derek and waited until he scooted lower into the bed and allowed Stiles to snuggle in close.

"Good luck tomorrow," Stiles whispered into his collarbone.

Derek smiled and pressed his nose to Stiles's forehead, "What for?"

"Finding the answers you need to keep us all together and alive. I know you'll do great with Ito."

"Thank to you," Derek murmured and scented the happy flush of embarrassment from the teenager so he let the silence reign in the room and waited for the new day to come.

Derek woke to Stiles grappling around for the alarm that was blaring them awake and muttered. He turned back over as Stiles and Echo left the room in a clatter and fell into a light doze. He and Boyd didn't need to be up for another hour and a half, he needed his rest for the drive and the meeting with Ito.

He felt the light kiss to his forehead before Stiles left for the day and happily slumbered a little longer. He dreamt of his mom and his sisters, the rest of his family sleeping in on a Saturday morning. His mom coming into his room, carrying warm tea for him as a thinly veiled bribe. _'Good morning Derek, are you ready to go see the other packs today?'_

 _'Come on Mom, do I have to?' he griped, thinking about all the time he could spend on the phone with Paige or even go over and see her. They had been flirting a lot at school and texting nonstop but he didn't know if they'd made it to time outside of school yet._

 _'I know you are thinking of your girl but this is important, Derek. We are bringing a lot of alphas together, trying to find a way to peace. This is important pack business.'_

 _Derek rolled away from his mom and the tea, 'Then take Laura, she's your future-alpha child.'_

 _'Get up Derek!' she commanded after another minute and he dragged himself out of bed and started to get ready. Thinking visiting the other pack wasn't going to be any fun and definitely not going to be as interesting as flirting with Paige but when his mother commanded him, Derek really didn't have a choice in the matter._

Derek's eyes blinked open and he sighed. Maybe it was her death or even his relationship with Kate but he'd forgotten that there were times when pack dynamics and being the best alpha had been the most important thing to his mother. He knew it was important but he didn't want to force compliance, it wasn't in him.

He reached out and gripped his cell phone, checking to see the time and saw it was after 8 AM so he slipped on a sweater over his shirt and headed downstairs. Boyd was already in the kitchen and he handed over a plate of eggs and toast.

"Thanks," Derek said and tucked into the food without another word. They ate in silence and Derek hoped that everyone got to school okay this morning. He knew that Dr. Marcus was there and they had each other, Allison had a plan to talk to her dad this weekend about Stiles.

"You going to call Alpha Ito?" Boyd asked as he drank some milk.

Derek nodded, finishing his food and drinking some water to wash it down before he grabbed his phone. While Boyd cleaned up around him, Derek flipped through his contacts then found the information for _Ito, Satomi (Alpha)_ and before he could talk himself out of it he pushed the call button. He brought the phone to his ear and listened to it ring a couple times before someone picked up on the other end.

"Hello, this is Satomi Ito?"

"Hello, my name is Derek Hale and I was hoping to speak to you about some—stuff." Derek realized he should have thought about what he was planning on saying. He assumed there were ways to speak to other Alphas on the phone when the subject was supernatural but he had no idea, "Sorry that was stupid sounding. I don't know how to do this but I'm a new…"

"You're Talia Hale's son right?" Ito interrupted to ask.

Derek sighed in relief, "Yes ma'am."

"Beacon Hills has been going through some serious upheaval recently. I heard about your sister and the issues with your uncle. I presume you are contacting me as the Alpha of Beacon Hills."

"Yes, and I appreciate the condolences," Derek stuttered.

"You have questions but as you are probably aware, these kinds of meetings are better done in person."

"Yes, Alpha Ito. I was hoping to visit your pack today, bringing one beta with me as support and companionship."

"Is it the lovely Stiles Stilinski by any chance?" Satomi asked sounding really enthused for someone who'd never met Stiles.

"No ma'am, Stiles is attending school for the moment. If you wish to meet with him, I would be willing to take that request to his father and come to you over the weekend or invite you to visit Beacon Hills.

Satomi tutted in disappointment, "Pity. I have heard interesting things about the boy."

Derek frowned, "What exactly have you heard?"

Satomi shushed him and Derek pulled the phone away to stare at it for a second before bringing it back and she was speaking, "We can discuss that later, after we have gotten acquainted. It should take about three hours to get here, I would like you to meet me in one of our nearby safe houses in town as opposed to our den, you understand." She rattled off the address and Derek fumbled to write it down while Boyd quietly smirked at him. Derek glared at him for a second, "We shall see you in a couple of hours, Alpha Hale." Then she hung up.

Derek looked over at Boyd who was trying not to smile.

"Well that was strange," Derek finally said.

Boyd shrugged, "I guess we will find out more when we get there."

"I guess we should get ready and go since she is clearly expecting us."

Boyd nodded and they moved quickly to gather the lunch they planned for the drive and some books for them to read. Both Boyd and Derek were quiet people when left to their own devices so reading is something they both enjoy and three hours was a bit of a trek with nothing to do. They loaded into the Camaro and headed out of town. Before leaving, Derek sent a text to the others letting them know they were on their way but he waited until they were on the road out of town to call the Sheriff.

"Derek? You on your way?" Stilinski asked.

"Yeah, Boyd is with me so if you're planning on changing the locks just make sure we can get back in to get our stuff," he said –not-so-jokingly and Boyd shot a quick glance at him.

"He wouldn't!" Boyd hissed.

Derek shook his head even while Stilinski snorted, "You're not getting locked out of your home Derek. Are you going to be back tonight?"

"That's the plan," Derek returned, "Though I think that this is just going to lead to other meetings with Alpha Ito. She wants to meet Stiles, she's heard about him somehow."

Stilinski chuckled, "Of all the things that should surprise me, that doesn't really surprise me at all. He did some pretty memorable things, looking for Peter. Well go see her this time and if there are more visits to be had, you can plan one for the weekend or something."

"Sounds good," Derek paused and took a deep breath, "Look I know this is probably really offensive and stupid but I hate the idea of leaving town. I know he was your kid before he was my pack mate but just keep an eye on him?"

"I'll keep both on him Derek, have a safe trip okay?"

"Thanks, will do."

Derek hung up the phone and tucked it back in his pocket, turned the music on low and drove. Boyd just stared out the window for a little while before he got bored with it and tugged out one of his school books, still trying to get caught up mid semester. Derek let him work in peace, thinking that it was possible that the friendship he was building with Boyd was probably the best thing that could happen to him. Derek hadn't always been laconic but Boyd's similarities were comforting. Stiles and Dr. Marcus were always pushing for different reasons and in different ways and he cared for them both. Dr. Marcus was supposed to push him, to help Derek come to some level of awareness and acceptance. Stiles wasn't pushing to be frustrating, it's just who he was and Derek knew that and still wanted to be around him.

The girls were a different kind of demand as an alpha and protector, Allison was very straightforward and though she seemed to need to comfort of pack almost as much as Boyd, she was very clinical about a lot of aspects of life. Jackson was just Jackson, there wasn't much give or take there so Derek didn't have to worry about it. Boyd though, had brought an aspect of serenity and calm to their otherwise chaos ridden little pack and Derek was pleased that he'd taken the chance to meet the beta and invite him back to Beacon Hills and into the Hale pack.

"I know I didn't say it but," Derek paused and faltered.

Boyd shifted his gaze over to Derek and sniffed a little then spoke, "I know. I'm glad I'm here too, no matter what that means."

Derek nodded, pleased that he had a beta that was capable of hearing him when he couldn't say what needed saying. The rest of the drive was spent in the quiet hum of the car and the music set low enough to be heard but not so loud to be annoying. The last couple of miles, Derek spent arguing ineffectually with the GPS and having to reroute three times before they pulled up in front of a youth center. There were couches and what looked like a skateboard park of some kind. There weren't many people inside so they got out of the car and headed for the front door. Then a young woman stepped in front of them, blocking the entrance. She had dark skin and smooth black hair with brown eyes. She smelled human but there was also the distinctive smell of gunpowder and something that Derek would describe as 'don't fuck with me' even though there shouldn't be a scent to that. He smelled something similar on many of the Argents.

"Hunter," Derek hissed, taking a couple of quick steps back.

She shook her head quickly, "No, not someone for you to fear. I am merely here as an intermediary between you and Alpha Ito. To be sure no harm comes to either one of you."

"Why do you smell like them?" Derek snarled, flicking his claws out even as Boyd stepped in close to his back and looked around to make sure no one was paying them any attention.

The woman smiled and slipped her jacket out of the way so he could see the gun, "I carry many of the same tools of the trade but I have no desire to hurt anyone unless someone pays me a lot of money."

"Pays you?" Derek asked, his claws receding since she didn't act aggressive, she didn't smell like lies.

"Today, someone is paying me to bring you and Alpha Ito together and make sure that nothing goes wrong. Please, when we step inside, we are going to turn to the left and head towards the back of the building. We will meet her back there."

Derek looked at Boyd who nodded, "We're here and she doesn't seem like the type to shoot us in the back."

The woman snorted, "Got that right. If I was going to kill you, it would be right between the eyes," she brought a finger gun up and made a little popping sound with her mouth then blew on the tip of her finger. Derek rolled his eyes then followed when she walked in through the door. Derek pushed forward so he could walk shoulder to shoulder with the woman with Boyd bringing up the rear as they walked towards the back.

"What's your name?" Derek asked.

"Braeden but honestly honey, you aren't going to need to remember that."

"Uh huh," Derek said though he sincerely doubt this was going to be the last time he saw her. She seemed to know her way around the supernaturals and if she was a gun for hire, at some point she was going to pop in again. Or maybe he wouldn't see her again, they weren't actually in Beacon Hills at the moment.

Braeden stopped in front of a closed door and knocked, two raps then a pause then one more rap. She opened the door and they walked in to see a stout Asian woman standing behind a desk, dressed in a simple but sharp pantsuit. Her long hair was held back in a severe ponytail but she was smiling, softening her features.

"Alpha Hale?" she asked, though it was only a formality.

"Alpha Ito?" he returned as he stepped forward, bowing his head slightly to recognize her age and wisdom as the elder Alpha in the room.

"And who is this strapping young beta?" she asked, looking over at Boyd.

"Vernon Boyd," Boyd introduced himself but didn't reach out. Pack dynamics and touch between an alpha and the beta in another pack would be considered encroaching on the alpha's territory so Derek told Boyd not to attempt to shake hands or anything though he smiled kindly.

"It's a genuine pleasure, Vernon Boyd," she answered then waved to the two chairs in front of the desk and sat down on her side. Braeden moved over closer to the table but stood at a respectful distance. Boyd waited until both Satomi and Derek gestured towards the chair. Derek didn't want to leave him standing because it would appear like they weren't comfortable here and they were questioning their safety. Derek knew better than to completely be at ease around people he didn't know but when meeting another alpha, appearances are just as important as caution if not more important.

"Alpha Ito, I feel I must first consider the fact that Braeden is a paid person outside your pack. I can understand the idea of protected information within a contract for services rendered but I must insist that any information shared here from my pack is to be treated the same as any information she would find out about your pack."

Ito smiled like she was proud, "I completely agree, Miss Braeden has signed a non-disclosure that covers any information garnered from time within my pack or time with another alpha such as your self. I carry a retainer for Braeden when I am meeting with new alphas; it is much like meeting some new romantic partner and not wanting them to meet your children just yet. I have been doing this a long time and though bringing a second in command is normal, I have chosen a slightly different method for the initial meetings between myself and other packs or alphas."

Derek had never considered that, his mother always took Derek's father on those meets but he could understand the reticence to bring other werewolves into a new political and emotionally volatile meeting. Derek took a deep breath, "I appreciate your diligence."

"I can bring you a copy of that contract," Ito said and waved towards Braeden who moved to the small briefcase sitting on another chair.

Derek shook his head, "Thank you for the offer, I trust your caution."

Ito nodded and Braeden moved back to where she was standing. Ito leaned forward enough to lean her elbows on the desk and looked him over, "You remind me of your mother. I was very saddened by the loss of not only your mother but the rest of your pack. I am pleased to know that Beacon Hills is back under the watchful eye of a Hale Alpha."

Derek nodded; he didn't want to talk about the deaths.

"You do not want to speak of these things, so we shall move on to other business. I am going to guess that you were not trained to take over?"

Derek glanced over at Braeden who wasn't even looking at him, "No. Laura was in training. My Uncle Peter killed her for the power, then I took it from him."

"You didn't kill him?" Ito asked.

Derek shook his head, "No, I received it from him. Uncle Peter willed it to me rather than die. I took in his betas and he is spending time in solitary at Eichen House."

Ito stared at him, like an interesting specimen she didn't quite know what to do with. She hummed, "That's interesting. I know it happens but its not often. Werewolves, especially alphas are very cautious about keeping their power. Someone as fractured as Peter being able to give it to you, he must have wanted to. Really wanted to."

"Maybe that's why the Demon Wolf is interested," Boyd muttered but in a room full of werewolves, Ito heard him.

Ito frowned at Derek, "You believe Deucalion is coming for you?"

"Deucalion?" Derek asked.

"He's the alpha who refers to himself as the 'Demon Wolf', my pack is too old and settled to be taken out by him and his feral pack. Deucalion tends to prey on untrained alphas, those who don't know how to find help. He believes that collecting alphas will make him strong enough that he will never be taken by surprise again. He was blinded by the hunters years ago."

"A blind alpha?" Derek asked.

"He can see through the wolf's eyes but blind the rest of the time. Deucalion has always been a strange duck; thinks by gaining more and more power and surrounding himself with broken alphas with splintered packs will keep him safe. I have no intention of leaving you to best him alone but we will have to speak to terms of an alliance. Was there anything else beyond the issues with Deucalion?"

"Just some questions about turning people."

Ito leaned back in her chair again, "Like what?"

"Actually first, we have a creature in Beacon Hills attacking people, it paralyzes people with this viscous fluid and a cut to the back of the neck then rips them apart. It's not a werewolf, have you heard of something like that?"

Ito frowned, "Do you know anything else about it? What is smelled like? What it looked like? Anything else?"

Derek shook his head, "Its fast, as fast as us if not a little faster and there is an almost lack of scent to it. Like it can camouflage itself."

"Hmm, I will have several of my pack members look into the archives about it, to see if there is anything there we can find. Braeden did you get all that?"

Derek looked over as the hired gun nodded, making notes on a small notebook.

"And turning betas," Derek started, "There is this young woman who suffers from epilepsy, has seizures and it's apparently getting worse. Would turning her into a werewolf help to alleviate the symptoms? She was brought to my attention because on of the betas that Peter turned suffered from extreme asthma and no longer needs an inhaler."

Ito nodded, "I have known more than my fair share of turned wolves who suffered from afflictions and 99% of them are healed or arrested by the lycanthropy. I believe there is at least two of my betas that were turned years ago who had seizures and they no longer struggle because the accelerated healing will stop the symptoms before they have a chance to take hold of the young wolf. Would you like me to verify this as well?" she motioned to Braeden who was already writing.

"I would appreciate it," Derek responded then leaned forward, "Alpha Ito, I need to be fair with you at the moment I have very little to give in fair trade of an alliance."

Ito waved him off, "Please Alpha Hale, consider this, I have given you information which I am not in the habit of charging for and the possibility to protection or at least giving Deucalion a hindrance in place of an easy target. This is nothing I wouldn't have given your mother if she so requested. I believe in the coming days, if the Hale pack becomes strong again, you will make an amazing pack to be allied with and I am in no hurry to receive some sort of due payment because I am settled in a territory that has not been in danger for a long time. I choose to involve myself with nascent packs and build up the werewolf species instead of tearing it down. Plus, you have access to Stiles and Noah Stilinski."

Derek bristled a little, "Do you feel the need to have a Sheriff in your acquaintance?"

Ito snorted, "No need for the hackles, my sweet, I only mean that Stilinski is well known for being a smart gentleman, someone your mother trusted deeply. In fact she was a friend to Claudia Stilinski who I have met with more than once because she is capable of seeking answers where no one thinks to look. And her son's disappearance was linked to Peter, even though we didn't know the true extent. I am presuming from prior knowledge of his mother that young Stiles put his nose where it didn't belong and revealed your Uncle's plan?"

"Yeah he did, got himself kidnapped for it too."

"Well he survived and has not only chosen to stay with you, but to remain human. A force to be reckoned with, one I will be pleased to meet when the time is right."

Derek nodded, "Well then I guess we have an alliance to build."

Alpha Ito smiled again and they continued to talk a while longer. They were together long enough that Alpha Ito offered to bring them lunch so they could continue to chat about their packs and issues that Derek might come up against. He asked about Jackson struggling with the shift but she knew as much about it then Derek did. Ito didn't know that there were many things that would hold off a werewolf's shift but vowed to look into it as well. Her pack had been around for so long that they kept really good records, something the Hale family had before the fire and Derek would like to start again.

It was well after three in the afternoon when Boyd and Derek loaded back into the Camaro and started the drive back to Beacon Hills. Derek couldn't wait to talk to Stiles about everything he discovered, he was going to flip his shit when he found out about the library of werewolf data that Satomi's pack was sitting on.

Stiles headed over to the mechanic to try and figure out what the newest rattle under the hood was, he didn't want to think about the only mechanic nearby charging him whatever fees he wanted to but Stiles knew enough about his car to at least get it looked over and see what it needed.

He pulled into the parking lot and waited for Echo to jump out behind him before he walked inside, calling out, "Hello, here for my car to get checked out?"

Echo tilted her head and looked through the office towards the back to see two men in the back, the older guy was the mechanic though Stiles couldn't remember his name off the top of his head and the other was someone in his school. He was one of the photographers on the yearbook staff and he was pretty obsessed with Allison recently though she said he'd been pretty harmless so far. Derek had growled in an incredibly becoming sort of way when she mentioned it in passing and Allison had cooed at the protective Alpha routine before they all laughed it off.

Stiles opened the door a little, ready to call out when he heard what they were saying, "How could you not remember me!"

The mechanic shrugged, "Look kid, those days I didn't care much about other dudes, just what the ladies were wearing and to be honest I don't care now!" he shoved the younger teen away from him.

"I was a friend of Lahey's kid, we were all there around the pool! How can you not remember Tucker?"

Stiles coughed politely since the argument didn't seem to be ending any time soon. They both turned towards him, the photographer who Stiles still couldn't remember the name of, startled and took off out the door shoving past Stiles.

"Rude," Stiles called after him then turned back to Tucker, "Hey, I have an appointment to get my jeep checked out. Stiles Stilinski."

Tucker nodded, scrubbing the hands through his hair, "Bring it around and we'll get it up on the lift. From what you described it could be a number of things but we'd be better off checking them all."

Stiles rolled his eyes, left Echo latched on one of the displays next to the door then moved the jeep around. They got it pulled inside and Tucker invited him back out of the office while he worked on it and Stiles went back out of retrieve Echo then moved to sit down in the office. He pulled out his books from class and started working on one of his assignments, wondering how Derek was doing with Alpha Ito. He knew Derek was going to be great, he was keen on learning how to be a good alpha and from what others have said; Ito is a good alpha with a strong pack. Stiles couldn't wait to meet her.

He thought back to the weird interaction he saw with Tucker and the other teen and tugged his phone out. He texted Allison, _'Who was that photographer guy that you smelled the pheromones from? The one who was being a little to ambitious?'_

It didn't take long for her to respond, _'You mean Matt? He's no big deal. Not worth Derek's eyebrows of death. Or actual death for that matter.'_

Stiles snickered thinking about how adorable Derek was when he was protecting his betas from harm. Stiles tapped out his response, _'He was here arguing with the mechanic about something, just needed to know what his name was. It was going to make me nuts. It's terrible that we all go to the same school and I can't remember his name.'_

 _"I'm pretty sure you only knew five people's names anyway. Too much other crap in that head for such trivial things as people's names that you grew up with.'_

Stiles snorted, _'To be fair, I don't remember Matt living here his whole life but you might have a point. I can barely remember Boyd's name :p'_

 _"Lies! Boyd is your new bodyguard. Have to know what name to scream when your in trouble.'_

Stiles shook his head, thinking of all the terrible ways he might get her back later for that, _'Har Har, so funny.'_

Stiles looked up and around, realizing that the sun was setting and he was going to need to get home soon. He got up and went over to the door to the garage again and popped it open. Echo was still sitting by his computer and bag by the chair so Stiles slipped inside and called over to the mechanic, "Hey are you going to be done soon?"

Tucker buzzed a couple of things then looked over, "I need to make sure its nothing really bad."

Stiles frowned, "I don't really enjoy the vague statements that are going to end up costing me a bundle."

"Would you rather kill your jeep then?" he asked and Stiles rolled his eyes.

"This big blue baby has been surviving for a much longer than you've been a mechanic. Maybe you should just bring it down and call it good," Stiles called out and the jackass just revved up the tool again so he couldn't hear Stiles. He started again when the sound stopped, "Come on man, I gotta get going. My dad, the Sheriff, doesn't like when I make him wait."

Tucker snorted, "Your dad's the Sheriff, then he'll clearly want you following all the laws, especially the ones about your taillights working," he pointed at the suddenly dead light and Stiles growled.

"Just hurry up, I'll be over here stewing in impotent rage," he snarled just as the buzzing started again. He grabbed the door handle and slid off. Stiles looked down at the clear fluid coating his palm and turned back, "Oh real sanitary Jackass!"

"What?" Tucker called out with a laugh and Stiles spun around while reaching into his pocket for his pocket while he sniffed the stuff. It didn't smell like anything so he sniffed again before wiping his hand off on his shirt, intent on calling his dad to come here. Sometimes calling on the daddy is the Sheriff card really did work. Stiles flicked through the contacts, needing to scroll down once more then he couldn't get his fingers to move anymore. Stiles looked up as Echo started scratching at the door and barking, trying to get to him. Then in a not-even-a-little graceful move he listed to the side and fell face first onto the ground as his phone clattered to the side of him.

 _Oh god, am I paralyzed? Is that what this is? Oh god I don't want to die here, feeling everything but not able to fight back! The one day Derek decides to leave and take my bodyguard with him and this happens. My dad and Derek are never going to let me out of their sight again! Goddammit!_

The thoughts spun round and round in Stiles head as he kept breathing in the dirt and grime on the floor of the garage and looked around. He still had a little motion in his neck so he looked over just as Tucker stopped playing with the underbelly of Stiles's vehicle and realized he was on the ground. Tucker jumped out from under the vehicle just as Stiles caught sight of a vine hanging down over the side of the jeep. He frowned as Tucker rushed over and turned Stiles so his was lying back on the ground instead of on his stomach.

"Hey, are you okay? What's going on? Is this some trick?"

Stiles tried to gesture with his head but he didn't have enough control, he tried to talk but it was like the ability to talk was behind a big wall of cotton and he didn't have the energy to push the sound past the cotton, leaving him the ability to grunt and groan. Stiles looked back over Tucker's shoulder again and realized it wasn't a vine he'd seen but a tail. A tail that was attached to a man sized body that was sliding down to drop behind them.

"B'hine Ya!" Stiles tried to force out of his throat though there wasn't much sound to it, hoping that the paralysis didn't mean he was going to choke on his tongue. Maybe it was temporary; it didn't get into Stiles's blood stream like the others.

The creature was moving closer and then with a whip, Tucker was down too. Stiles got an up close picture of the lizard creature as it pulled Tucker back on his back and away from Stiles. It had no nose on its face, just slits like a snack. The skin was a dark scaly green and it had five fingers tipped with razor sharp claws. It had reptilian gold eyes and that tale was almost as long as the body. Stiles listened as Tucker tried to scream but he sounded the same, like he was working to hard to make sound come out of his mouth then the creature dug its claws into Tucker's stomach and the pain seemed to cure Tucker's inability to scream. Stiles shut his eyes, wishing he could stop hearing as the screaming continued. Stiles wished his painful shrieking was enough to blot out the rending of flesh but Stiles could hear that too.

All at once and not soon enough the screaming stopped into a gurgle and Stiles pleaded, "Don't kill me please." He opened his eyes and jerked as much as he could while the thing stared at him, looking into his eyes. There was something in them that Stiles couldn't explain and now that his eyes were open, Stiles couldn't shut them again. Stiles didn't want to be surprised by the final blow. "Please don't kill me, please?" he pleaded again even as in the background he realized he could still barely hear Echo barking outside in the office. He hoped that the creature would leave her alone this wasn't her fault.

The creature sniffed at Stiles's throat and he waited for the first strike but just as suddenly as it had arrived, the creature left. Stiles took a deep breath as he searched the garage as best he could from his paralyzed state then without meaning to, started crying.

A couple of minutes or hours later, Echo took a running leap at the door and broke through the glass then moved to stand between Stiles and Tucker's destroyed body. She lapped gently at his face, licking up the tears.

"Echo," Stiles whimpered, "Good girl. I need help girl."

She yipped then turned around in a circle then back the other way; Stiles frowned wondering what she was doing until he flashed back to Alia when she was describing some of the additions to Echo's training and her jacket. It was something that his dad had paid extra for in all of her vests and they all hoped they wouldn't have to use.

"Panic button!" Stiles exclaimed and looked to see where it was. There was one on each side of the vest but he didn't know if he could even move his fingers enough to get to it. "Echo, I can't touch it. This isn't going to work."

Echo growled at him which was more than a little surprising then she tucked her face down to tear at the vest and tried to drag it up just enough to mouth at the panic button.

"Holy shit, Echo! I didn't know you could do that! Get it girl!" he exclaimed as she continued to shimmy until she had the edge in her mouth, in-between her teeth and chomped down on it. Something lit up inside the vest and Echo immediately dropped the frayed fabric and went back to guarding her owner. As a testament to her training, she didn't inspect Tucker's body, staying as close to Stiles as humanly possible

"Dad is going to be so pissed, but maybe he'll forgive me when he realized the panic button works," Stiles said, trying to nip the anxiety off by talking. It might take fifteen minutes or more for his dad to get here from wherever he was, the beacon went to his dad first, Derek second and if there was nothing from either then it would continue on to the Sheriff's station, that way no matter what was going on someone would come for him.

By the time the Sheriff's cruiser came charging into the lot outside, Stiles could feel and move his fingers and toes. He'd been working on it a little at a time to keep from freaking out over the whole ordeal. He knew that Echo was hurt from rushing through the glass window but she wasn't letting it bother her so Stiles decided to let it bother him after they were both out of here and away from the body.

"Stiles!" his dad shouted as he came into the office then into the garage. "Oh shit!" he said at the sight before them and crouched down by Stiles.

"Hey Dad," Stiles whispered, trying not to cry again in relief. "So I'm paralyzed and Echo is bleeding and this was supposed to be a stupid trip to the mechanic. What the hell! Can we not tell Derek?"

"Derek's here," the alpha growled as he came in next to his Dad and Stiles groaned. Derek leaned down and pressed a hand to the side of Stiles's face and the black lines seeped up his arms for a second then he pulled away, "I can't heal the paralysis but I can tell it's wearing off. Are you okay Stiles?"

"I'm not dead, traumatized for life though," Stiles responded.

Derek leaned down and pressed a warm kiss to Stiles's chest while his dad pressed an equally tender kiss to his forehead. Stiles wasn't so sure he could turn away the touching even if he wanted to pretend he was more manly than he was. He needed them both right now.

"I called dispatch about the other body," the Sheriff said after a couple minutes, "They know you are a witness but I am more concerned with getting you and Echo checked out and back home than anything else. We can deal with statements later, okay?"

Stiles nodded, "I wanna go home Daddy," he whispered. Derek gave a distinct sniffle and Stiles ignored it for the sake of keeping an eye on his dad. He nodded and before Stiles could say anything else, Derek was lifting him off the ground and they were walking out of the garage. Stiles looked over Derek's shoulder to see Echo on a stretcher, patches of blood on her coat.

"Echo?"

"It's okay," Derek soothed him; "They sedated her so she could be transported to Deaton. He's going to take good care of her and we'll go get her first thing tomorrow morning."

"Promise," Stiles whisper demanded.

"Yes, promise."

Stiles relaxed in Derek's arms and let them take him home.


	15. We're Note Fine

**Chapter Fifteen:** **We're Not Fine!**

 **Author's Note: Sorry I didn't get these to you sooner. Reviews are welcome!**

After Stiles was checked over by Melissa, who graciously rushed over to do a house call, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The paralysis wasn't permanent, Stiles was going to be just fine. Melissa spent an extra ten minutes sitting on the side of Stiles's bed, running her hand through his hair gently and no one had the guts to ask her to leave. Derek figured just because her son was a simple-minded idiot, didn't mean that Melissa was. Stiles was as much her kid as Scott was and with the separation between the friends meant that Stiles wasn't spending as much time with Melissa anymore.

Stiles stayed in bed, working his fingers and toes, hands and feet and so on while soaking in the attention from his surrogate mother. Derek and Stilinski filed out of the bedroom to let them have a little bit of time. As soon as they left, he could hear Stiles whispering questions about Scott. How is he? Everything okay for Scott? How was it going with Isaac? And how was it at the clinic and his grades?

Derek wanted to shake the stupid self-sacrificing idiot for asking how Scott was when Stiles was the one paralyzed, the one who'd been left alone. Melissa shushed the questions and just sat with him and after a minute or two Stiles muffled a cry while Melissa continued to hold him whispering, "Let it out, I'm here sweetie."

Derek turned back around to rush into his aid but Stilinski stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, "Let him be with her right now. He's lost so much in Scott, he needs her. She needs this too."

Derek flashed his red eyes at the sheriff but the man just shook his head. Derek snapped out, "He got hurt!"

Stilinski sighed, nodding, "I know Derek. They both got hurt and now there's another dead body. And if I haven't misread the situation, I'm pretty sure Stiles watched him die. Give him some time with Melissa, then we can go rushing back in there."

"I told him," Derek sucked in a deep breath, "I told him I didn't think I was strong enough for him to get hurt again. I wasn't worth him getting hurt again."

Stilinski clearly knew what an impending emotional breakdown looked like because he shuffled Derek into the master bedroom and shut the door. Derek allowed himself to be perched on the bed while his eyes ached with unshed tears and his chest caved under the pressure of his fear. "Okay Derek, we're alone here. Boyd is finding the others and telling them what happened with Stiles and then he's going to Deaton's to check on Echo. No one is going to hear what happens right now in this room."

Derek gripped Stilinski's jacket tightly in his grip, pulling the fabric to its limit while the threads stretched under the pressure. Breath shuddered out of him and something like a high-pitched whine escaped his mouth and Derek tried to clamp it down. Stilinski just knelt in front of him and pressed a wavering hand to the side of Derek's neck and his control shattered. Derek collapsed off the side of the bed and tried to wedge himself as close to Stilinski's chest as he could get, comforted by the _likeStiles_ scent of the man and the freely given comfort.

"I can't do this! If it means he's going to get hurt, I can't stay. I won't let that happen! I would rather be alone!" he gritted out the words into the front of Stilinski's uniform while the man just held him close.

"You and I both know he's not going to let that happen," Stilinski said with a snort. "And whether you believe it or not, I don't want that for you."

"No!" Derek snarled and jerked away from Stilinski's hold. Stilinski released him, knowing that he couldn't and shouldn't force his hold but his hands and arms were still out in an inviting gesture. Derek pushed along the floor away from him, fetching up against the bedroom wall with a dull thud. "You were right before! I'm not good for him, not good for any of them!"

Stilinski scooted closer and Derek growled low in his throat, holding up his clawed hands to keep Stilinski way from him but the Sheriff just kept coming. Why the hell did either of the Stilinski's just keep forcing him? Why didn't they understand that he was going to get them killed? Why couldn't they just let him die or be alone?

"Stay away! I'll hurt you?" Derek's voice pitched up into a question and Stilinski shook his head.

"No. Derek you are not going to hurt me. I am going to put my hand on your wrist, Okay?" Stilinski spoke calmly, and Derek wondered how many people he'd had to talk down from emotional ledges as a deputy and now the Sheriff.

"This is your out, why aren't you taking it?" Derek demanded, shuddering hard enough that it was making a vibrating noise against the wall and the dresser that was next to him on the right.

Stilinski gripped Derek's wrist gently as he stated he would and pulled Derek's hand down and away from his legs where they were pressed up to his chest. Derek's legs crumpled without the pressure from his arms and the release sent his wolf back under his skin. Derek shook his head, closing his eyes. He didn't want to see what was on Stilinski's face, pity or hate. His legs listed to the side and he slammed his head into the wall behind him once then again.

"Hey, knock that off!" Stilinski ordered and the fatherly demand was enough to stop Derek, reminding him of his dad, and he looked over as the man sat down on his butt dragging Derek away from the wall, gently and a little at a time. Derek willingly came and all at once his head was pressed into Stilinski's thigh with the man pressing a hand into the back of his neck and the other lower on his back. The alpha didn't even put up a fuss at someone other than Stiles touching the back of his neck, the vulnerable place. Stilinski's scent was familiar and calm.

Shuddering cries refused to be contained in Derek's chest and there was nowhere for him to go. He was the alpha, Derek was supposed to be the one in charge and on top of things and there was no way he could do that without Stiles. Derek sobbed; knowing that this codependency was exactly what Stilinski hadn't wanted for his son and now Stiles had been hurt again.

It took him a long time to realize that Stilinski was speaking, low and calm; over and over. "I know, let it go Derek. He's going to be fine, you're going to be okay. You're not going anywhere. You don't have to be alone. I know son. Let it go."

Derek belatedly realized that his hands were wrapped around Stilinski's waist and gripping at the back of his shirt and jacket. Stilinski's pant leg was damp from the tears and snot and Derek started to pull away, to apologize and regain some control. Stilinski shushed him and held him there.

"You think Stiles hasn't cried all over my clothes before, nothing to apologize for. Just move when you want to, not because you think you should."

Derek shuddered again, taking a deep breath and blurted, "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I got a good reminder that sometimes it's not about protecting and defending one kid, it's about saving them both." Derek sobbed a little and Stilinski tightened his hold for a second, "And I thought to myself what my wife would think if she knew how I was treating the son of one of her best friends. She would have kicked my ass then straight up adopted you."

Derek chuckled, the sound more manic than humorous. Derek stayed where he was for a couple more minutes before he sat up next to Stilinski, trying to look anywhere but at the man but Stilinski just touched his shoulder gently, shaking it a little. Derek looked at the Sheriff and saw the kindness and empathy there.

"I'm fine," he whispered hoarsely.

Stilinski frowned a little, "No your not Derek and that's okay. Stay here and relax for a few minutes, take some deep breaths and I am going to check on Stiles and Melissa. I'll be right back."

Derek nodded and watched as the man walked out, not even wiping at the awkward wet spot on his pants. Derek took a deep breath and smashed his hand over his own wet cheeks to get rid of the evidence. As soon as the werewolves were back, they would know, if they were at all using their noses but he hated how it felt, always had. Derek took another minute to breathe before he got up purposefully and walked out of the bedroom and headed for Stiles's room. He stopped at the door, fist poised to knock when he listened to the conversation.

"Hey Dad, where's Derek? Is he okay?" Stiles asked quietly like he'd fallen asleep for a minute.

"Derek's taking a minute for himself, he'll be back here when he's ready."

Stiles snorted, "I'm not stupid Dad, I could hear him! You can't let him leave, if Derek leaves he's going to be alone forever and I am not going to let that happen!"

"I know kiddo," Stilinski said gently and Derek opened the door to see Stilinski sitting on one side of the bed and Melissa sitting at the end. Stiles was moving, his body shifting a little here and there like he was making sure everything still worked. When Melissa looked up and smiled, she shifted just enough for Stiles to lock eyes on him.

"Sourwolf, get your ass over here and cuddle me!" Stiles demanded.

"Stiles," Stilinski admonished, shaking his head like he knew there was no stopping his son so why try except that he was the parent. Stilinski shifted enough that Derek could move around him and climb into the bed next to Stiles. He moved quickly to curl into Derek's warm side and sighed contently.

"I'm going to go make sure everyone is settled and in the know for tonight," Stilinski said as he squeezed Stiles's hand which was settled on Derek's chest then he moved his hand to squeeze Derek's shoulder as well before Stilinski got up and left.

"You boys take care of each other, consider taking tomorrow off from school?" Melissa said with a wink before she headed downstairs. Stiles seemed to be momentarily okay with the silence so he listened to the two grown ups downstairs.

"Noah, I think Stiles might need a day from school to really come back from the paralysis and if I'm not mistaken, Derek should see Dr. Marcus, if not both of them?"

Stilinski hummed, "I'll talk to them before I make the call but with Derek and Boyd here, I have no problem letting Stiles recoup for a day. We have got to find this thing, I don't even want to think about what Stiles saw tonight."

"I'm sorry," Stiles whispered, breaking Derek's concentration enough that he missed the rest of the goodbyes, though he could hear the singular ping of incoming texts on the Sheriff's phone.

"What could you possibly think you need to be sorry for?" Derek asked, pressing his nose into the short hairs on the top of Stiles's head.

"All I wanted to do was take my jeep to the garage and instead I watched the man get killed and got paralyzed. You freaked out, my dad freaked out and Echo threw herself through a window, though the panic button worked. Echo bit down on it with her teeth!"

Derek snorted, pleased to hear that the panic buttons were working, "Well maybe we should consider this a 'world is against me' sort of thing. Taking your jeep to the mechanic should be a safe thing. It's not your fault you ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Its not your fault it happened when I was out of town, and us freaking out its because we lo—" Derek choked on the word for a minute and Stiles looked up at him.

"You don't want to love me anymore?" Stiles whispered cautiously.

"That's not it at all, I'm scared that me loving you is going to get you killed and you would all be better off if I wasn't here."

"That's stupid and I think you need another session with Dr. Marcus," Stiles said not-at-all-flippantly. He huffed and tightened his arm around Derek's chest and Derek couldn't help but bring Stiles as close as he could.

"I get the impression that both of us are seeing Dr. Marcus on our recuperation day so you'll get your wish."

"Good," Stiles sighed. "I was so scared Derek and he screamed and screamed before the creature was done. I was waiting to die and Echo was barking and trying to tear open the door and all I could think was that I didn't want to die and leave you or Dad but also I didn't want the thing to kill Echo for me. We both knew this day was coming, I run with wolves and apparently we live on a Hellmouth."

Derek frowned, "What's a Hellmouth?"

Stiles gasped, "Are you just ignoring Buffy while we watch it?"

"Quite possibly," Derek muttered.

"An oversight, which must be remedied. Get my computer!" he commanded in a jaunty tone, Derek chuckled and held Stiles tighter.

"No need to rectify such a thing now, just relax."

"I love it when you talk dirty," Stiles mumbled into Derek's shoulder and they both stifled laughs into each other's warmth. Then he sobered, "I'm fine okay?"

"No, Stiles, you're not," Derek responded and realized that Stilinski had said the same thing to him, "And that's okay. We'll get fine together."

"'Get fine'! What an awful sentence but I get ya. We'll be better sometime, someday. Maybe someday, I won't hear her voice in my head, telling me to do things I don't want to do."

"Maybe someday she won't be in my head too, maybe someday I won't hear Laura's message and want to die a little. Someday."

"I can wait for someday but I would rather do it with you here," Stiles whispered, pleading with Derek.

Derek didn't want to just answer for the sake of Stiles, he had to think of everything but in the other room when Stilinski held him tightly and protected his neck Derek didn't want to leave. He didn't want to be alone anymore and it wasn't just about Stiles, it was about Noah, Boyd, Allison, Jackson, Lydia and even Scott. It was about all of them and him. He wasn't blowing smoke when Derek told Stiles and Dr. Marcus that he wanted more out of life, it was fear bringing him back to that dark place.

"I'd like that," Derek whispered and they both settled into each other and silence. For once Stiles let himself stay silent and still, except for the random muscle spasms that had him groaning a little here and there. When Derek realized it hurt, his body coming back on line, he leeched some of the pain away from Stiles so he could rest.

Derek didn't know how much time had passed when he heard the commotion downstairs, and then it was outside the door, then inside the bedroom. Lydia and Allison were shoving their way in together while Jackson and Boyd ambled in behind them. Lydia came over to the end of the bed and grabbed Stiles's foot and sighed. Stiles blinked blearily at them and grinned, "Dog pile?"

They all groaned at the bad joke then complied anyway. Allison slipped in on Derek's other side and snuggled in close, pressing her hand to Stiles's hand. Lydia climbed onto the end of the bed, her shoes hitting the floor in resonant thunks before she curled up next to Stiles near the wall. Jackson pressed into the space between Lydia and the wall, one of his hand pressing into Stiles's side with Lydia's hand in between. Boyd climbed up onto the end of the bed and slumped up towards them so his head was pressed between Derek and Stiles's thighs.

Derek touched them all one after the other, saw when Stilinski came to the door than just as quickly shuffled away to make phone calls in the office downstairs. Derek listened to their heartbeats, as each of them slowed and began harmonizing with the others. Derek felt as their breathing synchronized in contentment and wondered how he'd survived so many years without this.

God, Derek needed them so badly!

"We're going to be fine, we'll just stick together okay?" he whispered into the room and no one argued.

For the first time since this thing began, everyone slept at the Stilinski residence in Stiles bed with them. Stiles was bizarrely calm, smashed between the warm bodies of his pack brothers and sisters. Allison called her dad and told him the truth, which surprised everyone. Allison told her dad that Stiles had been hurt by something supernatural and she wasn't leaving him. Stiles didn't hear what was happening on the other end of the line but Father Hunter didn't sound very happy that she was staying with him, wondering why she was friends with Stiles all of a sudden. Stiles is sure that Scott had come up and Allison just hung up on him. When he called back a minute later, she told him that Lydia was there and the Sheriff was staying in the house for the night. Nothing hinky was going on and she wasn't leaving her friend.

Stiles tightened his grip on her hand at that, pleased to have her and sad that Scott _wasn't_ here. Lydia told her mother she was having a late night cram session with Allison who was 'struggling' in science, to which her best friend gasped in mock offense then giggled. Jackson just texted that Danny needed him, then texted Danny so he could cover. It apparently wasn't the first time such a deal has been struck, Stiles wondered if Jackson's parents were under the mistaken impression that Danny was an emotional mess and Jackson was 'helping' him. Boyd just stayed where he was but Stiles didn't have to be a werewolf to read the sadness in him when he didn't have parents to call so he poked Boyd's face and gestured to Derek.

Boyd snorted, "I'm not asking my alpha who is sitting a centimeter away if I can stay here in the house I live in."

Stiles chuckled but Boyd loosened up a little after the exchange so he considered it a win. They watched the first two episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Stiles argued vehemently that Angel is an idiot and there was no reason Buffy should have been into him, belatedly realizing that he was referencing scenes from later in the show. He chuckled and whispered, "Spoilers, sorry. I just can't believe you guys haven't watched it. There are werewolves later."

Derek snorted, "Oh, how well are they portrayed?"

Stiles paused and thought about what he knew and shrugged into Derek's side, "Could be worse, could have been better. I figured that not having the right information out there in the media would be good for you anyway so I never thought about it, I mean except in the beginning when I thought about literally everything."

They chuckled about that, falling asleep soon after.

Stiles woke _really_ early when everyone had to leave for showers and clothes and their schoolbooks. Allison and Lydia pressed kisses to his face before they left; Jackson grunted a farewell and Boyd headed to his room to sleep some more.

"I want to go get Echo, I don't like that she's not here," Stiles whispered, knowing that Derek was awake from all the movement. Derek was a light sleeper on the best of days; it was surprising that he slept at all after the previous night's scare.

Derek nodded, "We can go in a couple hours, Deaton's clinic won't even be open for another three hours. Do you want to sleep longer or get up?"

"Can we just lay here for a little longer?" Stiles requested, he didn't want to sleep anymore. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see the creature in his face. It was starting to mix up with being buried alive and Kate's voice when it swept through his mind.

Derek tightened his arm around Stiles's shoulders and nodded.

"Do you want to tell me what happened with my dad yesterday?" Stiles whispered the request. Stiles couldn't hear everything that happened in the other room, but he heard enough to know it was a meltdown of epic proportion.

Derek shook his head, "Not really?" he said, making it a question.

"Okay, will you tell me about your visit with Alpha Ito then?" Stiles asked, letting his fingers wander across Derek's covered chest. Despite the heat coming off the werewolf, Derek was more comfortable with his shirt on and Stiles wasn't really in a place to argue.

Derek chuckled, "Well she is very interested in meeting you."

"Me?" Stiles frowned, sitting up enough to see if he was kidding. Derek was his normal serious faced self though. "I'm nothing special."

"Yes you are," Derek pressed his nose to Stiles's cheek and smiled a little into his skin, "Apparently your exploits have been a part of the supernatural rumor mill for the past couple weeks. Nothing specific, but calling out Peter and getting taken."

Stiles snorted and resettled on Derek's shoulder, "So they want to meet the dunce who went up against an alpha werewolf and got kidnapped? Sure, learning what not to do can be good for everyone."

"I don't really think that's what it was about but you can take her temperature the next time we meet with her. We talked about the creature and she is going to see if she can get a hold of any information but it sounds like the hunters kind of had the market on gathering Intel about different creatures. Though after you describe it, she's going to have more information so you might get to speak to her sooner than anticipated. We also talked about Jackson but she didn't have any amazing fixes, sometimes people can't let go and shift."

"So Jackson's a special kind of stubborn, got it."

Derek snorted, it pleased Stiles that Derek could find some humor in this situation. Derek sighed and started again, "Your father came to me about someone to add to the pack, well actually Melissa asked him to talk to me about it."

"Wow, really?" Stiles exclaimed, surprised that this was the same man who wasn't really sure he could accept werewolves and the supernatural a couple of months ago, "My dad has changed a lot these past weeks, I don't know what to think about the wholesale acceptance of a werewolf pack in his house."

Derek shook his head slightly, and asked, "What would your mom have done?"

Stiles gave himself about thirty seconds to be shocked by the question then he considered it, knowing the answer before even realizing he spoke as he rubbed across Derek's chest in comfort, "Probably would have adopted you a long ass time ago and planned our first date."

Derek's smile spread across the skin of Stiles's forehead and temple, "I don't think that your dad is changing, I think he's just considering what your mom would have done. The pack, its not just about the teeth and the claws, which is why Scott is losing his shit. He's not capable of just needing us. Pack is about family and about closeness and that's not something that is unique to werewolves, all families desire it. Werewolves just need it more on a chemical level so we tend to notice the deficit a lot easier than humans. Ask me sometime about all the stupid decisions I made in the interim years when I didn't have a pack. If it helps, I'm pretty sure we have not seen the last of parental Stilinski and concerns about our decisions but maybe he just sees a little better that we all need this and we all need you and by extension him too."

"You need my dad?" Stiles asked in surprise.

Derek nodded and Stiles couldn't help but think about his dad staying with Derek in the other room while Melissa was with him, "I didn't know how much I needed him."

Stiles considered pointing out the little tremor in Derek's voice and body but didn't want to make fun of something so vulnerable, he knew how hard it was to share that for Derek. Stiles decided on a different tact, "Well then I'm glad he's here, my dad is pretty awesome!"

"Yeah he is," Derek sighed, "So Melissa knows this girl who has epilepsy."

"Erica Reyes," Stiles answered immediately picturing the girl with dirty blonde hair in her face and pockmarks on her face but still trying to smile through the discomfort.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"I spent a lot of time in the hospital when we were younger when Scott ended up in the hospital for his asthma and a couple times with pneumonia, then later when my mom got sick. Sometimes I would wander, I met Erica and asked her a bunch of embarrassing and probing questions."

"Of course you did," Stiles felt the shift that he equated with Derek rolling his eyes.

"Hush," Stiles chuckled, "So I went on a tear about epilepsy and we talked about it a couple times but we were at best hospital buddies so once I went off to middle school and she wasn't there, it was easy and maybe cowardly for me to not seek her out. I know that's shitty but I couldn't go back to the hospital for a long time after my mom died. Anyway I know who she is."

"Melissa figured because of Scott's asthma that maybe Erica being turned could help her, your dad asked me and I spoke to Alpha Ito about it and she is going to give me some information but she's very sure that it would arrest the issue that causes the seizures and I would have a third beta which would help to cement the power base here in town and in the pack."

Stiles nodded, "I guess we should talk to the others, probably discuss it with Melissa, how we could talk to her and make some sort of plan. With Melissa's help, she could even possibly slip it to the parents that there is an experimental procedure that could help her but it's unconventional. Then again, sometimes the truth is simpler."

"We can talk about it. I didn't know how I was going to walk up to some random girl and attempt to convince her to be a werewolf."

"I'm sure you could do it, but I'll help. At least I knew her once upon a time, maybe I can start there."

Derek nodded and they fell silent for a while. When the silence was too much, Stiles decided to go down and get something to eat so they both sat up and started the leisurely process of using the bathroom and going downstairs. Stiles walked down to find his dad sitting at the kitchen table with some case folders sitting in front of him.

"Hey kiddo, how you feeling?" he asked, getting up and pulling a chair out for Stiles.

"All better, no lasting damage from the paralysis."

"Good to hear, I'm going to get you some breakfast but you are going to call Dr. Marcus and set up something for today. See if she can come here if you want, I think you need a day without school and all the crap that goes with it. You can plan it for after you go see Echo, I'm sure we'll be able to bring her home since she wasn't terribly injured but I need you to just do it."

Stiles chuckled, "I got it Dad, yeesh."

His dad nodded and watched as Stiles dialed the number and was connected to Dr. Marcus's cell phone. She picked up on the second ring, "Stiles, are you okay? People have been talking about the death of the mechanic and several have mentioned that you were there."

"I'm fine, Dad wants me to set up a time to meet with you. I know Derek really needs to see you too but we are getting Echo in a little while and then we are going to be here at home."

"Okay Stiles, take a breath," she chuckled, "I can plan two hours with you this afternoon at about 3:30PM, that's a little after school is out so I will be free and I won't have to worry about the drive back to the school before going home. Can you make that work?"

Stiles nodded, "Yes, we can do that. I'm still a little sore from the paralysis and I'm not a huge fan of going to far without Echo who was hurt trying to get to me."

"Well we will see you this afternoon then, go get your girl, okay?"

Stiles hung up and looked over as his dad put a plate with toast and a couple slices of Canadian bacon on it. He was scrambling some eggs with cheese and onions added on the stovetop, "She's coming over at 3:30 this afternoon. Do I need to make any other calls before I take a bite?"

"Cheeky little," His dad said with a chuckle then turned back to the eggs while Stiles started eating. Derek came down and pressed a kiss to the back of Stiles's head before greeting his dad.

"Can I help with anything?" Derek asked.

His dad shook his head, putting a plate in front of Derek. It had toast and eggs on it since Derek didn't prefer breakfast meat sometimes. There were a couple extra pieces of Canadian bacon on the middle of the island that he could grab if he wanted. His dad slipped a serving of eggs onto Stiles's plate before reclaiming his seat at the table.

"Stiles, we need to get a statement from you sometime today. If you tell me everything here then I can decide what needs to go into the official report but this is the first time someone has actually witnessed the creature so I'm guessing that the description could be crucial."

"Can I get Echo first?" Stiles whispered, "I don't like being without her."

His dad nodded, "Talk about it in your session, maybe write about it before hand. Do what you need to do but we can talk about it this evening when I get home from the station."

Stiles gave his dad a thumbs up then shifted his gaze to Derek, "Do you think the hunters will come see me about the information I have?"

Derek shrugged, "I don't know how the minds of hunters work but after losing one of their own, I'm sure Argent is looking into everything he can. So maybe."

"Maybe we can use it to our advantage, get an in with Argent and get information if they have it. I'm not hiding the connection I have to you Derek so they must be aware that we are going to do what we can to stop it or at least help them stop it."

"Hunters aren't really known for compromising and working with 'monsters'."

"You're not a monster," Stiles and his dad said in unison. Stiles grinned at Derek's dumbfounded look. He took another bite of eggs while Derek grabbed a piece of meat from the plate to ignore their eyes.

"If there is any issues with Argent, you let me know immediately. Understood?" his dad demanded.

Stiles nodded.

They fell silent and finished eating. Derek excused himself to take a shower and Stiles sat watching his dad looking through the paperwork in front of him. Stiles picked up the dirty dishes from the table and put them in the sink, rinsing them and slipping them into the dishwasher before he topped off his dad's coffee to-go mug and turned to walk upstairs when his dad called him back.

"Yeah?" Stiles asked.

"Do you have to be Batman?" his dad finally asked.

Stiles chuckled, "I'm not trying to be Batman, I swear. I wasn't even trying to be Robin; I was just trying to get my jeep tuned up. And that mechanic was trying to stiff me, not that I think that's a good reason for him to die like that but seriously what is it with mechanics?"

His dad got up and came over to pull him into a back bending hug as he whispered fiercely to Stiles, "I am always going to love you kid, and I can't stand the idea of you being anywhere near this. It honestly scares the shit out of me but you're smart and I am smart enough to know I can't keep you out of this. You are just as good of as a detective as I am already so I need you to be wise enough to consider what you are doing before you do them? Okay?"

Stiles pulled out of the hug hesitantly, "I promise I am not going to go off half-cocked and get myself kidnapped again. I am going to be lucky to go on an errand alone anytime soon."

His dad nodded and hugged him once more before he looked up towards the bathroom where Derek was showering, "Stay close to him today, he needs you as much as you need him today."

"Yes, sir," Stiles gave a snappy salute then helped his dad gather all the folders, his belt and everything before getting him out the door for the station. Soon they could head out and get Echo and they would see Dr. Marcus and everything was going to be fine.


	16. Compromised Hunter

**Chapter Sixteen: Compromised Hunter**

 **Author's Note: There is a couple chapters being updated, be aware of the number of chapter.**

It was 8:01AM when Stiles pulled open the door to the clinic and walked in. Deaton was waiting for him, that placid smile on his face while Derek followed Stiles. The alpha watched as Stiles walked up and dinged the bell three times and just stared at Deaton who just stared back.

"Mr. Stilinski, Echo is in Exam Room 1, I sedated her last night to make sure she got some real rest."

"Is she hurt? Badly?" Stiles asked, swallowing hard, nerves and anxiety making him more twitchy than normal.

Deaton shook his head and Stiles visibly deflated, Derek moved forward to press a hand to his lower back just as support. The Vet pulled out a clipboard and looked it over, "I had to put stitches on a couple of cuts, one under her eye on the right side so keep watch on that. She had some glass in her pads from walking around but overall she was mostly scared for you which is why I sedated her. She wanted to get back to you."

Stiles nodded, "Can I see her now please?"

Deaton gestured towards the exam room and they all walked in together. It was a little larger; maybe it was where Deaton saw the larger dogs and animals. Echo was lying in a kennel, blankets and pillows lay in there to make her comfortable but she was aware enough that she opened her eyes. Derek watched as she scented Stiles and realized he was there, she stood slowly and pushed herself against the door. Deaton walked over and released the catch and she rushed over to Stiles. Echo gave his face a thorough licking while Stiles chuckled, and then hugged her tightly. Echo whined but it was one of those happy whines that dogs made when they were separated from their person. Stiles was making happy noises too.

He was also talking to her, "Good girl. You were so amazing, I'm sorry you got hurt. We're going to take you home and you are going to get spoiled by everyone today. No school which means no extensive guard routine."

Echo barked happily and Deaton came over with the shredded vest and the leash. Derek took them both while Stiles continued to croon at his dog. Derek nodded to Deaton, "Thanks for taking care of her."

"Yeah," Stiles interjected as he stood up, "Thank you."

Derek latched the leash to Echo's collar since they were going to have to put the second vest on her when they got home. Derek wondered where they got the vests in the first place. Stiles waved at Deaton and they both walked back out to the front, Derek stopped suddenly and Stiles bumped into him.

"Argent?" Derek snarled, "What are you doing here?"

Stiles shifted to look around Derek's shoulder and caught sight of Chris Argent standing between them and the door. Argent had his arms crossed, pushing his jacket up just enough that they could see the shoulder holster. Deaton came out of the office behind them and hummed, "Mr. Argent, I do believe you have already been hauled in for having that gun on school grounds, shall I make another call then?"

Argent flipped open his wallet and waved around a piece of paper, "Permit to carry."

"I still have the right to refuse service sir," Deaton started, "You do not have a pet and I would like you to leave. Thank you."

"I need to speak to Mr. Stilinski," Argent said and nodded to Stiles.

"Yeah, I don't think so man. Did you forget it was your sister who sexually assaulted me after she kidnapped me? Do you want to recap the way you didn't turn her into the Sheriff when she undoubtedly stopped by for her belongings before she left town?"

"And yet you are good enough friends that my daughter had to come see you?" Argent asked, glancing at Derek then to Stiles.

"Let me guess, 'Stay away from my daughter!'" Stiles said, lowering his voice to emulate Argent while he pointed an offended finger in Argent's direction. Derek grinned while the hunter's face scrunched in displeasure.

"Why is she spending so much time with you? What happened the night when you guys were trapped in the school?" Argent asked and Stiles's heart rate ratcheted up. Derek stared at Argent, waiting to see what else he might say. If Argent knew that Allison was a werewolf, they were going to have to get her out of there.

Despite his racing heart, Stiles kept his cool when he answered. "Maybe because we all went through hell that night then again when I was taken by your sister." Derek heard Stiles's voice quaver a little but it wasn't obvious.

Derek watched Argent take that in then just deflated, slumping into one of the chairs while they watched him. "Look," Argent started then looked around quickly, "Can we speak privately somewhere?"

Stiles and Derek both frowned at the man; Derek wondered what his game was.

"All three of us, I'll put my guns in the car and we can go somewhere with witnesses, maybe the park or something. I need to ask you something."

Stiles groaned, rubbing a hand over his face, "Just say it now!"

"Is Allison still dating Scott?" Argent demanded.

Derek rolled his eyes and Stiles snorted, "No, she hasn't been seeing him for weeks now. Like since the show down with Peter."

"Then why is she there with you?"

"Watching movies, hanging out?" Stiles said but it sounded a little more like a question than he was probably aiming for. Stiles's anxiety was spiking into an uncontrolled level, his scent souring with fear. Derek palmed his cell phone; wishing he could take it out and text Allison, tell her to get out now while she could. Derek had to protect her, she belonged to him. This wasn't about who bit her or who contributed to her DNA, it was about Allison surviving the day if Argent truly knew that she was a werewolf.

"Did she get bit that night?" Argent whispered finally and the question sat there in the gutted silence. Argent looked up at them, tears on his cheeks and welling at the corners of his eyes. Derek sighed, saying nothing because there wasn't anyway he could convince the man that she was still his daughter. He wasn't going to beg for her life, Derek was going to make sure she lived through the day without this lost looking man asking her to take a bullet to be free of the disease of being a werewolf.

"Why would you ask that?" Stiles finally asked, his voice strong and curious instead of anxious which was amazing.

Argent wiped tears off his cheeks and pressed his hands to his knees, trying to look stronger than he was. "She got out of the ties in under two hours, she cares so much about werewolves and if it's not about Scott then what's it about. I went back for the ropes and they were frayed, like with a knife or a claw but she wasn't armed when Bennett brought her in. He checked her before lashing her to the chair. She knew he was going to take her, I know she did. She's a good actress but not that good. I know her too well, I did what I had to, keeping her training away from the other nascent hunters and my wife but I need to know."

Derek leaned down in front of the man, purposefully putting his head lower than Argent's, giving him the sensation of being on the high ground, got close while Stiles shuffled from foot to foot and Deaton hovered behind the front desk. "What would you do if you found out your daughter was a werewolf?"

Argent glared at him, sneering a little while Derek's flicked his claws out and let his eyes bleed red, "You think I'm going to kill her?"

"I think you would try to convince her it was the _right_ thing to do even though its not. I know what Argents, what most hunters; do when they find out one of their own has been turned. Why would this be any different?"

"Because she's my daughter?" Argent snarled at him.

Derek got a little closer, "Are you saying that if your daughter was turned that night because there was a crazed alpha who was so pissed at your sister for killing his family that he turned your daughter to make you kill her, if that happened you would accept her despite your hate rant about how my family deserved to be burned alive? That all werewolves deserve to die? You fucking hypocrite!" Derek snarled.

Argent kept eye contact, tears trickling down his cheeks and he didn't wipe them away, "I wouldn't tell my wife but I won't let them hurt her!"

"And you do realize that its quite possible that the reason she is spending time with Stiles and the others is because she loves her pack, she needs the pack especially with a bunch of 'monster killers' at home!"

Argent shook his head, though Derek couldn't figure out what he was denying, "She's a werewolf isn't she?"

Derek nodded, "She's pretty amazing at it and if you or Victoria try to hurt her or any of us I will end you."

Argent's features hardened, "Don't threaten me!"

"Not a threat, hunter, it's a promise. I've already lost my family once well twice if you count sending Peter to solitary and finding my twin sister chopped in half the first night I was back in town. I'm not doing it again." Derek stood up and walked back to take Stiles's hand and he led them outside where Stiles stood next to the Camaro in shocked stillness. Derek didn't like it, walking next to him and pressing a hand to Stiles's cheek letting the gentle contact undo the stillness.

"We need to tell Allison," Stiles whispered and Derek nodded, "Do you think Argent is going to tell his wife?"

Derek shrugged, "I don't know or trust that woman but Argent wasn't lying. He loves his daughter more than he hates us which is saying something because he really hates us."

"So tell Allison her dad knows but not her mom?" Stiles asked and Derek nodded.

Stiles was texting that to the others, including his dad at Derek's insistence, when Argent rushed out of the clinic and came towards them. Derek moved quickly between the hunter and Stiles whose back was turned. Echo was standing on Stiles's other side facing Argent as well since she didn't know if he was a threat or not. She wasn't growling or on the defense but she was at attention. Derek could feel her tension and thought maybe the pain drain would work for her as well.

"Listen, I know you'll probably accuse me again of hypocrisy and all that but I know how to fight werewolves and Allison mentioned maybe training Stiles after he got hurt. I can do that, you know?"

Stiles turned around and stared at him incredulously, "I'm not going anywhere near your house dude. Allison told me all about the basement and the garage. Not to mention you didn't turn on your sister when she kidnapped me."

Derek shrugged because he wouldn't have allowed Stiles to go to the Argent place either, not after what Kate did and not knowing how to guess what Mrs. Argent would do. It was unknown territory. It was enemy territory. Stiles was smart enough to know that so he didn't have to step in.

"I can understand that, think about it. See that I am going to do what I need to protect my daughter and the other humans in this town, and that includes Stiles. The creature, we need to find it and disable it."

"Are you talking about teaming up?" Stiles asked, frowning as he gripped Echo's leash tightly.

Argent nodded his head, "Your pack hasn't done anything wrong, you haven't killed anyone and your policed your own with Peter. Maybe," he paused, grinding his teeth together as he continued, "Maybe I don't know everything about werewolves."

Derek snorted and turned to open the passenger door. Stiles scoffed and let Echo into the backseat without another word to Argent and slammed the door shut. Derek walked around the back of the Camaro and watched Argent as he passed and the proud man looked down and away which had to be the first time he'd ever given ground around Derek.

It was a start.

Derek didn't really believe that he had any intention of helping Stiles or the rest of them, would undoubtedly be trying to convince Allison to be an omega at least but at least Argent seemed to know that he screwed up.

Derek got into the driver's seat, started the Camaro and drove out of the lot. Stiles was fuming in the passenger seat, gripping the damaged vest in his hands, "Guh, can you believe that guy! At least he doesn't seem like he's going to walk her into an open grave any time soon."

Derek nodded, "We'll just have to see how it plays out though if it goes badly, we might have to find someplace to stash Allison. I don't know what her mom is going to do if she finds out."

"I wanna go back to the house and take a nap with Echo before Dr. Marcus gets there, can we?"

Derek smiled, "Sure."

Allison looked down at the group message in between classes and froze in the middle of the hallway; Lydia taking another half a minute to realize Allison wasn't next to her while she chattered away about her dog Prada. Or maybe her designer handbag, sometimes Allison couldn't really tell the difference in the conversation. Jackson and Danny were hanging out elsewhere today so it was just the two of them in between classes.

"Ally?" Lydia asked as she came back.

"My dad knows, he guessed and confronted Derek about it when they were picking up Echo. I shouldn't have stayed with Stiles last night but I couldn't leave him. I just couldn't!" Allison's heart rate rose in anxiety, sweat was beading along her forehead and her breathing was starting to get choppy.

Lydia pulled her out of the middle of the hallway and into an empty classroom but Allison barely noticed the movement even while she fought the urge to clamber into Lydia's lap or better yet run to her alpha. She didn't know how she was ever going to be safe with anyone except her alpha and her pack.

"He's going to hate me, he's going to kill me! Not like obsessive teenager drama, my dad is literally going to shoot me with a wolfsbane bullet or worse, make me do it! He's going to make me believe it the best thing for me! He tells all the hunters to keep one bullet for yourself, just in case. Does he have one for me? I don't even use a gun, he was teaching me with the bow! How am I supposed to shoot myself with a bow?" Allison covered her face with her hands and dropped to her knees in the room. Allison heard Lydia slump down next to her but everything was going wobbly around the edges and her claws were extending.

"Oh god no, not here!" Allison whispered as her eyes flashed and her teeth lengthened. She hadn't fought for control of her shift in weeks and she knew she had to get control of this. Allison grappled with the messy ponytail and unwound the braid, scraping her scalp and pulling out strands in her hurry to cover her face and ears better.

Lydia leaned forward and grabbed Allison by the shoulders, "Come on Allison, get control of yourself! You can't do this here!"

Allison looked down, catching sight of the blood on the tips of her claws and sobbed, "My dad is going to kill me!" She tried to breathe in but it felt like someone was sitting on her chest, bearing down and constricting her lungs. Allison started patting her chest in the hopes that whatever was there would move. Lydia is still talking to her but nothing is getting through anymore, there is a whining in Allison's ears. The only good news was that on the wavering tip of consciousness, Allison had shifted back but she couldn't imagine Lydia explaining why she had a panic attack and fainted in a classroom that they weren't supposed to be in. This was not the time to draw attention but the thing was still sitting on her chest. She needed it to get off! Allison ripped at the front of her clothes, rending the buttons from her shirt and hearing as they scattered around her on the floor with tinny pings.

"Oh just do it!" Lydia said, confusing Allison for a moment before there were light strawberry/chemical flavored lips pressing into hers. Allison stopped breathing and wondered what the hell was going on. Lydia's hands were gently cupping Allison's cheek and when Allison opened her mouth under the gentle pressure she breathed _in_ Lydia and everything stilled inside.

Then she pulled away and Allison stared at her in surprise as she belatedly realized she wasn't about to faint anymore and her breathing was slow and the pain in her chest subsided, "How'd you do that?"

"I read once that holding your breath could stop a panic attack. So when I kissed you, you held your breath."

Allison swallowed, tasting the kiss again in the back of her throat wondering why it felt and tasted like more than a last ditch effort to calm her, "You could have just told me to hold my breath?"

Lydia shook her head, "You weren't hearing me, I didn't know what else to do."

The warning bell rang and Allison winced at the sudden loud noise rattling through her aching head and she nodded, "We should go to class. Or maybe I should just go to the nurse's office and call someone to pick me up."

Lydia shrugged and got up off the floor, reaching down to help Allison to her feet. Allison's fingers lingered on Lydia's wrist for a second to long before they both jerked apart awkwardly.

"Well maybe you should sign up to speak with that lady that Stiles and Derek are seeing, might help," Lydia said as she wiped her hand down her perfect dress and walked out of the classroom while Allison watched her go, haughty as ever even though Allison could smell the anxiety and fear on her. Hopefully when Allison wasn't having a freaking crisis she would be able to speak to Lydia about what just happened.

"What the hell was that?" Allison whispered to herself, rubbing a finger across her still tingling lips. Allison tried to shake it off as she walked to the office and asked to see the nurse. Instead Miss Morrell came around the corner and smiled that sweet smile which didn't match her scent at all, making Allison wrinkle her nose.

"Miss Argent, do you have a moment?"

Allison pressed a hand to her stomach and winced for good measure, "Not feeling all that well, need to see the nurse."

"It will only take a moment," Miss Morrell insisted then tugged on Allison's arm until they were behind a closed door. Allison stood next to the door while the woman walked around the office and sat in her chair behind the desk. "Please have a seat."

"I'd rather go to the nurse before I vomit on your lovely carpet," Allison responded with a grimace, even though her instincts were driving her to snarl, to shift and run. She needed out of here, and away from this woman. She needed Derek!

"Miss Argent, maybe you should consider that we both know you can't be sick unless someone slipped you some wolfsbane or silver."

Allison shook her head and frowned in confusion, "I don't know what that means. Are you saying I was poisoned?"

"It means I know you're a werewolf and please sit down. It's concerning that you are still standing by the door like I am some kind of evil person."

"You tried to scare off Stiles, I don't think that makes you a nice person," Allison snapped, winced because she was still on edge. She shouldn't have said that.

"To be fair, what I predicted came true," Miss Morrell said as she stared at Allison.

Allison snarled at her, "Because he went to a mechanic? That had nothing to do with his decision to stand by his friends, no matter who they are."

"You mean what they are," Morrell responded with a smile.

Allison glared at her, "No, did I stutter? No, I mean _who_ they are. I wish I could puke on your floor. I don't think I like you very much; thankfully I already speak French at a college level so I have no use for your courses. Now what do you want?"

Miss Morrell smiled placidly, folding her hands together on the desk, "I want my boss to not come here. I have ties to Beacon Hills and I cannot see this place burned to the ground because Derek Hale wants to reclaim his mother's vaunted legacy."

"Then tell _your boss,_ whoever that is to not come here. Tell him whatever he needs to know to not come after Derek because trying to scare us off one by one isn't going to work. Now if you'll excuse me, I really do feel nauseous now."

Allison opened the door and slipped out, leaving the office and heading for the parking lot only to pull up short when she sees her dad standing next to his SUV on the corner. He smelled like sadness and shame, his eyes were red from crying and all she wanted to do was walk right back inside.

He looked up, "Allison!" he called and jogged up to her.

Allison took a step back, her eyes shining gold for a second before she looked away. She felt his gasp of realization, of seeing that he was right about this for the first time. Allison took another step back, wishing that Derek was here right now. She fumbled her phone out of her purse and pulled up his number.

"No, Ally, you don't have to be afraid. I'm still your father!"

Allison shook her head, "You don't believe that werewolves are human anymore. You think they should all die, I know all about how you feel about us."

Her dad flinched and stumbled back a step before he held a hand on, palm up in submission. It was such a wolf move that Allison found her hand reaching out. She jerked it back before they touched.

"Allison, please? Can we go somewhere and talk?" Her dad pleaded, the scent of his fear and anxiety almost choking Allison even out here in the open it was so strong.

She shook her head as the tears welled in her eyes again, "I don't want to go anywhere with you. I'm going to the Stilinski house, if you want to talk, at least I know that my alpha has my back."

Her dad flinched again and his scent of shame and sadness washed fresh over her senses. Allison walked a wide arc around him, not wanting to take a chance that she would falter and follow him to her doom in the woods or something. Allison wanted her dad to hug her but until she knows it isn't a trap, she couldn't take the chance. Survival was more important than fatherly comfort right now.

"I'll see you there Ally," he called out and they both walked to their cars and drove out of the lot towards the Stilinski house. Allison pulled her phone up and dialed Derek's number. He picked up on the second ring.

"Allison? Are you okay?"

"No," she whimpered, "I'm coming to you and my dad wants to talk and I said I wouldn't unless I could be with you."

"That will go over well," Derek muttered and Allison giggled but it just turned into a hysterical sob so she swallowed the sound. Derek crooned gently in her ear, "Stiles is sleeping and Dr. Marcus is coming over this afternoon. Boyd and I are both here for you. We will meet in the living room; anything else will feel like a betrayal to Stiles and the Sheriff. I need to call him, so I am going to get off the phone but I will see you soon."

"Okay," Allison said and hung up the call. She wasn't going to be safe at the Stilinski's, everyone knew where the Sheriff lived, including her parents. If she had to run, Allison didn't know what she would do. Her father and mother were _hunters_ and it was their job to find people. It was their legacy to find werewolves and kill them. Kill her.

When she pulled into the drive at the front of the Stilinski residence, she was breathing heavily again. Allison rushed up to the front door and pounded on it twice before she tried the handle. It was open so she shoved it open and ran into Derek's hard chest. Her loose hair fell forward over her shoulders to blanket them both. Derek took a moment to breathe her in, slow his breathing to help her calm while his arms came around her back to hold her.

"It's okay, you're okay. He didn't sound to me like he wanted to hurt you. He's a hypocrite but I don't think he's willing to lose you over this. He wasn't lying when he said he wouldn't let harm come to you."

Allison gripped the back of his shirt and cuddled into Derek's chest while he led her into the living room. She could hear Boyd and Stiles's heart beats upstairs, comforted by their presence as Derek sat her down on the couch.

"The sheriff is coming back just to be here for this. He wanted to know what happens, so we can all know how to protect you if needed and he said something like he wanted to back me up, weird."

Allison smiled, "You know despite all the arguments to the contrary, the Sheriff wants you to be here. Right?"

Derek shrugged then looked over towards the door as it opened. Now that she was paying attention, she could hear the Sheriff's heart beat and the faraway sound of her fathers. She couldn't really determine everyone's heartbeats but Derek had taught her to pick out certain rhythms and scents that were associated with certain pack members and people. The Sheriff and Stiles both had a unique patter to their beat, slightly accelerated even at resting state. Boyd's was a touch slower than her heart beat and Derek's heart beat. And Derek, she always knew his rhythm that was normal for the alpha of any beta; it was half physiology and half mysticism. The explainable paired with the unexplainable.

She guessed the other heartbeat was her father because he was expected and it was jack rabbiting in fear. She heard the Sherriff as he said, "Mr. Argent. I hear we have some things to discuss."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they called you," her dad said and it was surprisingly lackluster, no anger or fight in his voice.

Allison looked over Derek's shoulder as the Sheriff walked into the house and her dad came in behind him. Derek stood; Allison followed his lead and stood just behind his shoulder as her dad and the sheriff walked into the living room.

"I'm here because I want it to be very obvious that attempting to hurt Allison or leading her into some sort of accident is not going to happen. Derek has my full support here."

"So if the werewolves do something wrong, will they still have your full support?" her dad sneered and Allison stared at him in surprise.

The Sheriff snorted and gestured across the room to the single chair. Allison, Derek and the sheriff were all going to be sitting on the couch across from him, a united front. Derek settled next to Allison and the Sheriff sat on the arm of the couch and though his head was over Derek's, he was behind Derek just slightly so Derek's wolf didn't feel the need to growl or anything. Plus the Sheriff pressed a warm and comforting hand on his shoulder for a moment as he spoke, "Besides Peter's killing spree which had everything to do with your sister killing his family, tell me one thing the werewolves have done that I should turn my back on them for?"

Allison watched her father struggle, his hands itching like he wanted to reach for a gun to shut them up or something to stop the logic coming from the Sheriff's mouth. He sighed, rubbing a hand over his forehead, "I'm just hear to talk to my daughter. Apparently that means Derek has to be here too but you aren't needed here."

The Sheriff snorted, "You're in my house Argent, watch yourself. Now talk to your daughter if that's what you're here to do. If not, you can leave."

Allison shifted and watched as her dad slumped.

"Okay, Allison, I'm not going to hurt you or convince you to kill yourself. Is that what its going to take to have some privacy here?" he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face and through his hair. Allison didn't hear or sense a lie; she turned to Derek who nodded.

"What do you want Dad?" Allison asked, twining her fingers around Derek's for comfort. Her dad watched the action and looked up at Derek with narrowed eyes.

"Why did you have to come here last night? Was it really about Stiles?"

Allison rolled her eyes, "Look this probably isn't going to make any sense to you because we're all just 'monsters' getting ready to snap but Stiles is my pack mate, I needed to know that he was okay and I needed to be comforted by my alpha. There is nothing going on between me and Stiles or me and Derek. Actually, there's nothing going on between me and anybody since Scott went off the deep end. Derek is my alpha and Stiles is my friend. He was hurt and I couldn't stand the idea of leaving him alone. I would never say that Stiles is helpless but because he's human the instinct to protect him is high. Stiles is human, he's precious."

Her dad stared at her then looked at Derek, "I don't understand."

"Of course you don't," Derek responded and squeezed Allison's hand soothingly. "You don't learn what it's like for werewolf packs, you didn't take any interest in the things you were hunting. There are plenty of monsters out there that are never going to be good or loving but werewolves aren't one of them but your family has been killing us for a long time. When you take them captive, do you ask about pack dynamics or just see what kind of voltage you can use to torture them?"

Allison scented the shame but it was swallowed quickly by anger and justification, "I watched my best friend get turned and he tried to kill me until I killed him."

"And that's really sad," Derek said and sighed, "But it's not every wolf. Most of the time, a new beta has an alpha who will help them through it or keep them contained until they learn control. You're right, sometimes werewolves kill and harm others but then so do humans. So what's the point of making _all_ werewolves out to be evil besides covering your own ass? So you can kill indiscriminately?"

Her dad rubbed his hands together in front of him, a slow motion that he kept his eyes on, instead of looking at Derek while he breathed in a steady rhythm. "You've been a werewolf for a couple of full moons now?" he asked Allison.

She nodded, "Yeah, we've been working on control for weeks now. I barely ever shift unless I want to. I have it under control."

"And you come here why?"

"To be with my alpha and my pack," Allison said, barely keeping from rolling her eyes. She tightened her hand around Derek's, "At first it was just Derek and Stiles and Lydia, Scott refused to be a part of Derek's pack so he's not been around much. Lydia and Stiles are human, just in case you were concerned about that. Then we brought in Boyd."

"Boyd?" her dad asked then turned an offended look on Derek, "Did you turn someone?"

Derek shook his head, "No, after the issues the others had because of how they were turned I have no desire to do that to anyone. Boyd was turned against his will in another town, he didn't have an alpha and we agreed to work together here. He's upstairs right now."

"So is Stiles and Echo so don't get any bright ideas," the Sheriff warned and instead of getting defensive again, her dad just nodded.

"He can hear everything we are talking about right?"

Derek shrugged in response, "Not a lot of privacy per se in a werewolf pack."

"What is mom going to say?" Allison interjected, wondering what the point of this conversation. If it was about her, then she was going to keep it about her. If he was here to mine information about her pack, Allison wasn't going to let her father hurt her pack mates.

Her dad shrugged, "I have no intention of letting her know anytime soon. I want you to come home, I want you to feel safe there and I don't think she's going to be interested in learning all the ways we screwed up what he should or shouldn't believe about werewolves. I will continue to train you but it was never going to be with your mother so that shouldn't be a problem. You will just have to make sure you keep up the clueless routine."

Allison shrugged, "And what happens with the other hunters?"

"You're my daughter, it's a good enough excuse to not train you at the same time as the other hunters, most of them aren't training with me anyway. Many of them were trained with my father and sent here to town as back up ages ago."

"Okay, so you want me to come home and pretend I'm human around mom and you are going to take some werewolf 101."

"I want you to come home," her dad whispered, not agreeing to anything else.

"He's not lying," Derek said, squeezing her hand. "Do you want to go home?"

Allison looked at her alpha, then shifted to look at her dad. She wanted to go back a couple of months and not be a werewolf, not because she didn't love her pack but because she just wanted to go home and be with her family. "I want to go home but I don't want to do it if they are going to keep me from my pack."

Derek turned to her father, "Are you going to do that?"

He shook his head, "I just want my little girl to be safe. If that means that she's in your pack, then so be it."

Allison stared at him, unsure if she could really believe what he was saying. Allison wanted to believe that her father only cared about her, and of anyone in her immediate family he was the one she could believe in the most but he'd been raised in a hunter family. He was raised with her Aunt Kate who kidnapped and sexually assaulted a teenage boy, and that was just the latest crime she committed.

"You're going to have to lie to Mom, are you ready for that?" Allison asked finally.

Her dad took in a deep breath and let it out in an audible sound, "No, I'm not ready for that but it's preferable to losing my only daughter. I love you Ally, and that hasn't changed in the past two months."

"Okay, well I guess I will be home after homework and training. I want to make sure Lydia knows I'm okay and I might make an appointment to speak to the counselor that Derek and Stiles see. She offered her services before but I didn't think I needed it, now I do."

"We will see you this evening then," her dad responded before he stood up and held out his arms. Allison looked at Derek who smiled a little, unsure of what she wanted to do so he was just being there for her. She got up from the couch and hesitated for a couple of seconds before she folded herself into her dad's familiar body. Allison took a deep breath and pulled his scent into her nose and squeezed a little before letting go and looking up at him.

"I'm still your daughter," she whispered, worried that he didn't really think it.

He nodded, "I'm trying Ally."

Allison nodded and without another word, her dad walked out of the house leaving all of them still in the living room for a couple minutes. Derek and the sheriff both took deep relieved breaths then started when Stiles spoke from the stairs, "So, that was interesting. Promising though."

Allison smiled as she caught sight of him, with Echo sitting on the floor in front of the steps. She walked across the room and wrapped him in a hug; glad to see he was up again. Echo looked a little worse for wear but she happily leaned into snuggles from Allison when she was done scent marking Stiles. Allison noticed that Boyd was sitting at the top of the stairs and gestured for him to come down.

Boyd trumped down to the bottom of the stairs while Stiles walked over to climb onto the couch, basically sitting in Derek's lap while his dad rolled his eyes at their antics. Allison hugged Boyd happily layered some of her scent on him before they both walked over to the living room.

"Allison, you let me know if anything happens, I know Derek is your alpha but honestly the sheriff is going to be able to help you more if living with your family ends up being dangerous. Right?"

Derek nodded, "You need something immediately that I can't do anything about, call the Sheriff then me."

Allison gave them both a thumbs up and figured since they were all there, they might as well get through their homework. She took her bag over to the kitchen table while Stiles said goodbye to his dad.

"You're going to do homework? We could be binging Buffy!" Stiles exclaimed as he stomped across the room towards her.

"Stiles, you might be very good at school work that you don't have to study but I do need to do some work. Do you want to help me? If we get it done faster maybe we will have time for Buffy before Dr. Marcus comes?"

Stiles raised a brow at her, "Okay you convinced me, let me get my backpack."

He spun around only to find Derek there holding up his pack, Stiles chuckled as he spun again towards the counter to sit down next to Allison, "Apparently Alpha wants us to not fall behind."

They chuckled as Derek set out to make some snacks while Allison and Stiles started pulling books out to study. She left between first and second period so they had a little while before they had to eat some lunch and be ready for Dr. Marcus who wasn't coming until early afternoon.

Allison gripped Stiles's wrist, just to be in contact with him for a moment. She couldn't imagine what it was like being human when the rest of them had some physical protective measures; it made her want to protect Stiles. That was how Derek had been feeling for months now, it wasn't very fun.

"I'm going to be okay, Ally."

Allison nodded, "Promise?"

"Yup," he said popping the 'p' sound before they got started.


	17. UnPacking Everything

**Chapter Seventeen: UnPacking Everything**

 **Author's Note: There are several chapters coming, please be aware of the number. Thanks!**

Stiles was sitting on the couch with Allison curled up under his arm when Derek opened the front door and invited Dr. Marcus into the house. Boyd was sitting at their feet on the floor, pressing his shoulder into the side of Stiles's leg and one of Allison's hand rested gently on his shoulder while Echo got up to follow Derek to the door.

"Hang on! Wait for me!" someone shouted from the front and Allison bolted up from where she was resting. Stiles frowned at her as Lydia shoved ungraciously past Dr. Marcus and Derek snarled at her which made Echo grumble-woof before she sniffed Lydia and realized it wasn't someone she needed to worry about. "Sorry," she muttered as she stumbled into the living room and caught sight of Allison.

"Lydia, I'm okay. We're okay!" Allison murmured as she stood and pulled Lydia in a tight hug, pressing a hand to the back of her red-gold hair and the other along her lower back. Stiles stood up and Boyd did too but probably so he wouldn't get stepped on in the ensuing group cuddles. Stiles quickly glommed onto the girls to express whatever happiness and relief they were feeling. He couldn't sense it or smell it but he could feel Lydia's tense body softening in the embrace.

"Your dad?" Lydia asked, her voice pitching dangerously close to a screech while she kept hugging Allison and Stiles watched and felt the werewolves in the room flinched in response.

"Argent decided that it was better to be a hypocrite then lose his daughter for the time being," Derek answered, bringing everyone's attention back to Dr. Marcus and their alpha. Echo was sitting between the two of them, where she could happily keep her eyes on everyone. Stiles released the girls just as Allison pulled back from Lydia but the girls were still holding each other as they all turned towards Derek. Stiles watched Dr. Marcus give them all a look, something like a smile with a hint of confusion.

"For those of you who don't know me, I am Siobhan Marcus. Stiles and Derek, are you ready for your session?"

"Together?" Stiles asked, surprised since they hadn't seen her together since the first meeting they had here after the dance.

"I think that would be best, unless you think otherwise."

Stiles shrugged and Derek did nothing. He pointed to Lydia, Allison and Boyd, "Behave, you three."

Lydia scoffed, making Allison giggle and Boyd just resettled on the couch and sighed when the girls slumped down next to and on top of him. Stiles grinned at the put out expression Boyd was wearing at being at the bottom of the puppy pile before he looked around thinking, "Well, with them here nothing is going to be private."

"We can leave," Lydia said, pleased to get up from the couch, brushing some imaginary dust off her short skirt while Allison reached after her.

Stiles didn't like that, not after what happened. He wanted to know where Jackson was because Stiles couldn't stand the idea of any of them being on their own with the creature on the loose. He shook his head.

"They're here together and safe, I think that's more important then them hearing anything we need to say but it's not my decision." Stiles looked at Derek while Allison tried to tug Lydia back down on the couch. He smiled, watching Lydia wave her off.

"Why don't we go to that Thai place and get some take out for dinner?" Lydia offered, "We can walk there, order and come back. We won't be alone and we'll be back within the hour?"

Stiles nodded, "I could eat some Thai food, make sure you get something full of vegetables for my dad."

"Oh, he'll love that," Allison snickered while Lydia sniffed and Boyd grinned at them.

Stiles and Derek put in their dinner order and invited Dr. Marcus to join them but she waved them off before they headed for the office and settled into their seats and Stiles thought back to that first time they met with Dr. Marcus. Seems like ages have passed but in reality its only been a couple months. Of course this time, Echo followed him before Derek closed the door. She sat down next to him and he released her, letting her lay down in comfort. Thankfully as she stayed with Stiles all day, Echo's tension had started to fade though she was still a little gimpy.

"Okay, someone want to start with what happened last night?" Dr. Marcus asked gently as she pulled a small notebook out of her bag and settled back in the chair she resided in.

Stiles took a deep breath, "I tried to do something simple, go to the mechanic and get the jeep worked on. I had Echo with me and the mechanic was a jerk but then the creature was there. I ended up touching something on the door and couldn't feel anything. I fell down and I couldn't move. I left Echo on the other side of the door and when the guy came over to see what was wrong with me, the creature disabled him and then ripped him apart next to me."

Derek spoke, sounding despondent "To make everything worse, I was with Boyd meeting with Alpha Ito."

Dr. Marcus shook her head kindly, "Derek, it wasn't your fault. Stiles going to the mechanic shouldn't have been a life and death scenario. Try to remember that okay?"

Stiles nodded to her and towards Derek since he desperately wanted Derek to know that this wasn't either of their fault just bad timing, "So anyway, when the creature got done tearing the guy apart, it came over to me and I think it sniffed me and then it was gone. Echo broke through the window hence the gimp she's sporting at the moment. She shredded her vest trying to get to the panic button. Can we get another vest, maybe change it so she can get to the button easier."

Dr. Marcus frowned, "She was able to press the button?"

"Well," Stiles shrugged, "She bit it until it activated."

"Hmm," Dr. Marcus made a note on her chart, "I don't remember that in her training but that's amazing!"

Stiles patted her head smiling, "I was so scared and I didn't want her to die because of me. Thank goodness it didn't come to that. So my dad and the cops came to the rescue and Derek was there. Melissa checked me over, Derek had a freak out and Echo went to see Deaton to get some care. Beginning, middle, end. Check."

Dr. Marcus frowned and looked at Derek, "Would you like to expand on that?"

Derek shook his head, turning away his cheeks flushing a little. Stiles looked down and petted Echo gently, trying to give Derek a little space emotionally even if he couldn't do so physically. Maybe doing this together wasn't the best idea. So much of the things Derek was going through with Dr. Marcus had to do with long entrenched lies he was told and told himself when he was younger. Having an audience to that kind of stuff wasn't fun. He knew he didn't always want to talk about the stuff that he told the counselor even though he told Derek so much else.

"Derek," Marcus said again, her tone still gentle but it had that edge of determination to it that Stiles was more than familiar with. "Can you share what you were panicking about?"

"He got hurt, I told them I couldn't deal with Stiles getting hurt because of me. I told them that. The one day I decide to go do something, Stiles gets hurt."

Stiles stared at Derek, shaking his head and ready to pounce on that ridiculous statement when Dr. Marcus shook her head at him so he waited and she looked over at Derek.

"You have been doing such a great job Derek, with Stiles and the others. You are becoming a wonderful alpha who protects and cares for your pack. What's happening here? Did you forget all the good things that you've experienced?"

"What would it matter, I had good times with my family, with Paige, with Stiles and they all got hurt. I let go of the fear with Laura and she died. I get the people I love killed and I won't do that again! I can't!"

Derek stood up and made for the door but Dr. Marcus just cleared her throat, "Derek please sit back down."

Stiles knew he trusted the woman implicitly when Derek growled but retraced his steps to the chair he was sitting in. Derek crossed his arms and frowned mulishly.

"Tell me about the conversation you had with Sheriff Stilinski."

"I don't want to," Derek grumped.

"Why?"

"Because its embarrassing," he responded, surprising both Stiles and Dr. Marcus.

"Do you think that Stiles or I are going to see you differently or treat you differently if you tell us what happened?"

Derek shrugged noncommittally, "I don't really care about the tough alpha stuff because honestly both of you know how much of it would be bullshit. It's embarrassing because I needed it so badly, the comfort, from someone who hates me and doesn't really want me to be with his son. Am I so screwed up that I can only find affection from people who I shouldn't be around in the first place? If it wasn't for Scott being turned, I wouldn't even be here."

Stiles glared at Derek, "Now wait just a goddamned minute!" he snapped.

Derek looked over at him, his green eyes unblinking and unfocused. Stiles stood and walked across the short distance to Derek and pressed a hand to his cheek while crouching in front of the werewolf, "Do you honestly think that I wouldn't have found you? After your sister's death, relearning your name, I sought you out and it had a little bit to do with Scott but not much. Are you saying you don't deserve to be here because we wouldn't have met otherwise? That's stupid Hale and it's a pitiful place to be. Don't stay there okay?"

Derek shoved his hand away gently and sniffed, "You dad doesn't want us to be together but when I fell apart, sobbing and weak, he was there. I don't get it, why would he do that?"

Stiles gripped Derek's hand before he could push him away, "You need to have a long conversation with my father about this because I can't speak for him but seriously he doesn't offer comfort to just anyone. My dad doesn't pretend. Not here in his home."

Derek looked away for a minute then looked back into Stiles's steady gaze, "You want me to stay?"

Stiles put his hand back up on Derek's cheek and smiled, "You're not going anywhere Sourwolf. Please, I can't stand the idea of you being alone."

"Because we need each other," Derek nodded like he knew all the answers.

Stiles rolled his eyes, "No, you idiot, because I love you!"

Derek watched Stiles, waiting for something to tell him Stiles was lying or unsure but it wasn't there. Stiles leaned in and pressed a kiss to Derek's head before he released him and moved to sit back down.

"Okay," Dr. Marcus said, trying to get them back on track, "Derek, you and I will go into this more and if you would like, you can invite the Sheriff to a session and give yourself a chance to talk about what happened with him. I truly believe that things have shifted between the two of you but you won't know or believe it unless you ask him yourself. So just consider it, communication is the best for this kind of thing."

"Talking," Derek groaned and Stiles snickered.

"I think the two of you need to do some work together as well, Derek you were convinced that Stiles and the others are better off without you because of some skewed beliefs about your worth and Stiles, there is still a very real issue of your age difference and the trauma with Kate. There is no reason to determine the relationships viability based on the events with Kate and Peter."

Stiles frowned, "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you both need to keep working with me and each other. You and Derek should attempt to create a more 'normal' interaction for your dating life and continue to seek friendships and hobbies that aren't always together. I know that a lot of your time is taken with the pack bonding but having time away from each other is healthy and very necessary for you Stiles."

Stiles nodded, glad that school wasn't just a focus of the lack of the _Scott and Stiles_ show. His friendship with Lydia and Allison was fun; he was getting to know Danny despite the 'Jackson' appendage though he figured that the douche-beta might grow on him as well. Giving up Lacrosse had been tough but maybe he could turn to some other hobbies since he didn't relish the thought of contact sports anymore. Stiles only got into lacrosse for Scott anyway and now he didn't need it.

"I can do that," Stiles said.

"This is not about breaking you up, its about making sure you are going to continue to be healthy on your own and together for a long time."

Stiles nodded again.

"Now, I would like to ask Allison to come and speak to me but before I connect with her, do you each want some alone time here with me?"

Stiles shrugged and rubbed his hands together, "I'm glad I didn't die, I am glad that Echo got me help and Derek and my dad was there. I am going to keep learning and I am going to keep coming to see you but I'm good."

"No," Dr. Marcus said and though it was firm it was also gentle, "I think you have been telling yourself that for so long that nothing else really gets through. We are going to keep working on that but for now, I think you are comforted by the knowledge that Derek isn't going anywhere and you survived to tell the tale."

"Yup, I'm fine."

"Stop saying that!" Derek snarled.

Stiles glared at his boyfriend/Alpha, "I can say whatever the hell I want. This is the only way I know how to deal and honestly I don't think I can do this right now. I just want to eat Thai food, watch television and maybe if I'm lucky, take Echo for a walk without being attacked by a fucking lizard monster!"

Derek blinked at him, Dr. Marcus just took a deep breath and pointed towards the door, "Okay Stiles, we can talk again later but I would like a little bit of time with Derek. Thank you."

Stiles shrugged, surprisingly guilty for getting upset but unable to do anything else. He stood and walked towards the study door and walked back out into the living room, Echo trailing behind him before Stiles turned to slam the door. Stiles jumped when his dad was suddenly next to him, cushioning the door from slamming before he dragged Stiles over to the couch and shoved him down to sit.

"What's up kiddo?"

Stiles shrugged, "Just got kicked out of the session for not being able to listen."

His dad frowned, "She kicked you out of the session?"

"Well," Stiles hedged, rubbing the back of his head, "She asked me to leave because I wanted to say I was okay and Derek was annoyed. So dumb! Why can't I just be okay?"

"Stiles, can I say something that's probably going to piss you off?"

Stiles snorted, "When has me being pissed off ever stopped you?"

His dad sat down next to him on the couch, "More times than you can even know kid. What I want to say is, I think you were so good at taking care of other people that you forgot that you need some care to. By the time I clambered back out of the bottle and the defeat I felt without your mother, you were already so self-sufficient and I didn't know how to do the dad thing."

"You're a great dad," Stiles argued before he thought enough to know it was coming out of his mouth.

His dad just shook his head, "No, your mom was this amazing woman. She spent all the time with you, I got to do the fun stuff but the hard parent stuff, it was like learning how to be a parent all over again without her. It was scary and I fucked up. A lot."

"Language," Stiles said with a watery smile.

"I'm not going to do that anymore, so just consider that you're not okay and this isn't about getting 'fixed', its about you really taking care of yourself and letting us do the same. We can all take care of each other. Okay?"

"Ugh, so sappy," Stiles shuddered and smiled.

His dad pressed a hand to the back of Stiles's head and dragged him close for a hug. "It's okay that you're not okay right now? You don't have to be. You're not alone, I'm here okay?"

Stiles nodded into the side of his dad's neck and thought about Derek, "He needs you too. I don't know what happened between the two of you but Derek still thinks you hate him."

His dad sighed, "I haven't been very good to him since he came back. I'm working on it."

Stiles nodded as the front door opened and the pack stumbled into the front entry with bags of Thai food. Then the study door opened and Derek came out with Dr. Marcus. Derek walked over and scent marked Lydia and Boyd then gripped Lydia's shoulder while trying not to make it super obvious he was marking her. Then he looked over at Stiles and his gaze slipped away again. Stiles watched as Dr. Marcus walked over to Allison and held her hand out, "Allison Argent?"

Allison nodded and shook Dr. Marcus's hand, "Yes."

"I don't know what you know about how I do my work but I would be interested in meeting with you. I would like to help as you deal with your family after being changed."

Allison looked over at Derek then slid her gaze to Lydia while Stiles watched. She nodded, "Meeting at school like you do with Stiles and Derek?"

Dr. Marcus nodded and Allison cleared her throat then just rushed ahead, "I like being a werewolf, I don't want my dad and mom to hate me for this but I have a pack and I'm pretty well adjusted despite how it started."

Stiles nodded because, despite her beginnings Allison was good at being a werewolf. She took to it better than Scott did, Jackson was still struggling for the shift and Boyd was calm but he was still carrying the pain of who he was before the change and losing his family. Stiles shifted his gaze back to the doctor as she pressed a hand to Allison shoulder, "This isn't about what you don't need Allison, it's about what you _do need_!"

Allison nodded, Dr. Marcus smiled gently at her then gave Derek a measured look before his dad walked her out. Boyd and Lydia moved all the bags of take out to the kitchen. Stiles walked over to Derek, pressing into the alpha's side. Derek wrapped an arm around his shoulder and held him close.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you," Stiles whispered into Derek's shoulder.

Derek pressed his nose into Stiles's hair and took a deep breath, "We've had a shit day. I'm sure you should yell and scream and be mad about the things that have happened to you."

"It's not your fault though."

Derek shrugged and Stiles turned them to walk into the kitchen to start eating. Dinner was a quiet affair, Lydia and Allison sitting super close together while Stiles and Derek shared one of the chairs and Boyd worked on his food slowly with the chopsticks.

Derek ate his food and enjoyed the space with them, "Do we know where Jackson is?"

Lydia shrugged, "He said he didn't want to have anything to do with the drama with Allison. Jerk. I told him to go suck an egg."

Stiles snorted, his water stinging at his nose as he slapped a hand over his face. The others laughed as Allison tucked her head on Lydia's shoulder for a quick close connection before she kept munching on her food. Derek rubbed Stiles's back before he spoke again, "So one of the things that I spoke to Alpha Ito about was Sheriff Stilinski and Mrs. McCall have someone they were considering for a good candidate to be a werewolf. Erica Reyes, she has a very difficult time with epilepsy and Alpha Ito is going to share some information with us. We are going to invite her to rekindle a friendship with Stiles if she is interested and see if she would consider the opportunity. We are not throwing down the werewolf gauntlet immediately, for now we are offering friendship and time."

The others nodded and Derek looked at the Sheriff again.

"And I have been thinking about it a lot so I am going to see Peter."

Stiles looked at Derek in surprise though not much, he knew that Derek couldn't leave things as they were with his only surviving family member. The others were sitting in shocked silence, Lydia with her mouth open unattractively while Allison coughed into the silence of the room.

"That was the other alpha right?" Boyd asked.

Stiles and Derek both nodded in answer then Stiles spoke up, "He's also Derek's uncle. Only surviving relative."

Boyd nodded, "Okay, well if that's what you think is best."

Allison sighed and Derek looked at her, Stiles watching the interplay carefully. "Are you going to bring him here?"

Derek shook his head, pushing away his half-eaten carton of food, "No, he's where he should be but I need to see him. I need to talk to him. That was sort of the whole point of _not_ killing him."

Lydia just shrugged and pressed a comforting hand to Allison's leg under the table. Stiles looked at his dad, "Are you going to say anything Dad?"

He nodded, "As a matter of fact, let me know when you are going. I can help you get in to see him. The doctor there is kind of a stickler and he might need a nudge."

Stiles shrugged as Derek nodded with a grateful smile, "Thanks Sheriff."

"And stop calling me that, my name is Noah."

Stiles beamed at his dad while Derek's cheeks flushed and he turned away. Boyd turned to his dad and asked, "Should we call you Noah as well?"

Stiles laughed, "Please don't. Everyone around town will start wondering why a bunch of kids are referring to the Sheriff is such friendly ways."

"Mr. Stilinski?" Boyd asked.

"No, Papa Stilinski!" Allison interjected with a giggle.

Lydia smiled, "I like that."

"Oh god," Stiles and his father groaned, breaking the tension and making everyone laugh. Stiles enjoyed the sounds while they finished eating then planned to head into the living room to watch a couple more episodes of Buffy, and if Derek didn't start paying attention he was considering making everyone take episodic tests.

"Come on Derek, I need cuddles."

"No, actually I need to speak privately with Derek for a few minutes, we can take Echo for her evening walk if you promise to stay here with the others?"

Stiles nodded, wondering why his dad wanted privacy but waved Echo off to them who pranced happily over to scoop up one of her leashes and push it into his dad's hand. "Be safe you two."

"I have my phone," his dad said, rolling his eyes.

"I have claws and teeth," Derek responded with a sneer while Stiles laughed at them.

Derek walked away from Stiles as he chuckled, he grabbed his jacket and slipped it on as the Sherriff—Noah, Derek mentally corrected, grabbed a jacket and his shoes. Echo sat down next to the door and waited until Derek retook her hanging leash and they headed out together just as another episode of that show that Stiles loved started.

Derek walked next to Noah in surprisingly easy silence with Echo walking in between them. They walked away from the house and Derek stopped about half a block to look back, anxiety rising in his chest. Noah reached out and pressed a hand to his upper arm and when Derek looked at him, Noah nodded his head towards the sidewalk in front of them.

"I was doing better, I was trusting that he was going to be okay and he got hurt again."

"Don't do this to yourself son," Noah said and nudged Derek again and they started walking. Echo sniffed along the edge of the path, Derek giving her some leash to pee or poop if she needed to while he stayed quiet.

Derek took a deep breath, "I don't want him to die because of me."

"Derek," Noah whispered, "Stiles doesn't want me to get hurt because of the job. You didn't want your family to get hurt and I didn't want my wife to die because of a disease that no one could stop. I didn't want her to start forgetting her son, blaming him for being sick because she didn't know what was happening. Things happen Derek, no matter what we think we can control. You can't stop Stiles from doing stupid things, I have been trying for years and now, with the supernatural and the information about his mom—maybe it was always going to be this way. Stiles is a fighter, he's going to fight for you and the pack and me and the whole world if he could. You can't make him be anything other than what he is, Stiles is brave and loyal. You can't stop him from being Stiles."

Derek nodded and Noah pressed a hand around Derek's wrist gently, "I told you before that I loved your son and that hasn't changed but its not just about him anymore."

Noah nodded, "I can understand that. You have the others now. You're doing really well with them."

Derek cleared his throat and turned to look at Noah, "My sister had my mom. My mom had her dad and I need someone's help. It's not just about another alpha, its about someone who cares about the pack… and maybe even me?"

Noah's hand climbed up Derek's arm and tucked into his shoulder to squeeze, "I do care about you Derek. I know that you're not here to hurt my son and I know your just doing the best you can. You haven't had a parent since you were fifteen years old. Maybe its time to try having one again."

Derek nodded, reaching out to Noah and grabbing his opposite shoulder. Noah pulled Derek in and pressed the werewolf's nose into his neck and shoulder. Derek let himself be held for a minute while Echo stared up at them from where she was sitting slightly ahead of them on the road. Derek took a deep breath, taking in the scent of the man and opened his mouth to ask more about Peter when Noah's phone rang. It was the ringtone for the station so he pulled away and answered.

"Stilinski here," he said briskly.

One of the deputies answered, _"Sir, there was another murder. Man who was staying illegally in the Preserve, his pregnant wife is heading to ER, she was attacked but she survived. There's a witness, another witness."_

Derek stared at Noah in shock, the creature attacked again! This time there was another survivor which meant that Stiles surviving wasn't a fluke. There was a reason people were dying. Stiles had been right all along, there was a pattern.

"I'm on my way, just give me ten minutes."

Derek nodded to Noah and they both turned back towards the house while Noah got the details of the scene of the crime. When Noah hung up the phone Derek blurted out, "Stiles was right, there is a reason for the deaths. This thing is killing certain people."

Noah nodded, "Stiles frequently is right. We need that intel from Alpha Ito, will you call her while I head out to the crime scene. I am also going to see the wife so I am going to be out late. Call all the parents, stay together at the house if you can. I don't want any of you out there alone right now."

Derek nodded, figuring the same thing. He had no desire for any of his pack to come up against this thing.


	18. Not With a Scream but a Whimper

Noah rushed inside the front door and headed upstairs, leaving Derek to fill everyone in. He could hear the mumble of conversation along with the sound of the television playing in the living room. Stiles didn't know how not to ask questions and Derek knew what he knew. He changed into his uniform and shoved his feet back into his shoes, rushing down the stairs to lean against the wall and tie them. Stiles was looking over at him over the back of the couch, Lydia and Allison there as well while Derek talked on the phone in the kitchen with Boyd standing nearby. Noah looked at Stiles as he set his foot flat again, "Stiles, you stay here."

Stiles nodded jerkily like he was waiting for it, "I'm not going anywhere Dad, I promise. Derek and everyone else is here, Allison called her dad and said that she was staying here on account of the new murder, so is Lydia. Jackson isn't being social at the moment, maybe its his time of the month."

Allison and Lydia snickered at that while Noah rolled his eyes. "I know you want to figure this out Stiles and it does look like now that there has to be a reason the creature is going after certain people but I need you to not stick your nose into this. Let me do my job."

Stiles nodded again, "Can I Google the people who died, see if I can find anything?"

Noah considered this for a moment, "As long as that means you stay in this house."

"Got it," Stiles said with a jaunty salute before he scrambled off the couch, almost tripping on the edge and headed up the stairs. About half way up he turned back and rushed back down to embrace Noah. He could feel Stiles shuddering just a little, "Take care of yourself out there. I can't lose you because of this stupid supernatural stuff."

Noah rubbed Stiles's back and nodded, "I promise kiddo."

After a minute he felt when the other bodies draped around them, smooshing Stiles and Noah together in the center of a pack hug and he smiled. Noah knew Stiles wished Scott was here but at least his son wasn't alone anymore. The hole in Noah's heart created when Claudia died shrank just a little knowing that the pack was going to be here and Stiles was going to stay safe. Or as safe as he could be in Beacon Hills. He was learning quickly that the safe meter in this town was very different then other towns.

Noah extricated himself from the hug, glad to see that Derek had been involved as well with his phone still clutched in one hand against his ear. Noah assumed that he was waiting to speak to Alpha Ito or something. Noah pressed a hand to Stiles's shoulder for another second, gave a nod to Derek before he headed out the door.

Noah got into his cruiser and headed out to the Preserve where the person had been murdered, he got all the information he could then left it in the capable hands of the coroner and his deputies. He looked at his watch, seeing that it was after midnight by the time he was done at the scene so Noah decided not to send anymore information to Stiles for the moment. Hopefully the little miscreant was sleeping, but he'd been so sporadic that Noah wouldn't be surprised if he was feverishly muttering at his computer in research mode.

He did text Derek though, _'Everyone still at the house? Stiles okay?'_

Noah got into the cruiser and headed towards the hospital. When he parked in the lot, Noah checked the phone again to see Derek had responded, _'Stiles is fine, he just finally fell asleep. Everything is locked up tight.'_

Noah responded with a quick thank you before he rushed inside to see Melissa waiting for him, wringing her hands and looking like someone died which was a good possibility in a hospital. "What is it?"

"You are not going to believe this!" she responded anxiously.

"Try me," Noah responded.

Melissa nodded and headed off down the hallway and they took a couple of turns before he figured out where they were headed.

"The morgue? But the victim isn't here yet."

Melissa nodded, pushing through the morgue doors and stepped up to a slab to pull back the sheet. It was a woman and she didn't have any of the same marks as the other victims, Noah frowned wondering why she was showing him this body. She was wearing a hospital gown, a bracelet which means she'd been admitted to the hospital. Noah looked back up at her, choking on the bile that rose in the back of his throat as he connected the dots. The disgusting blood-soaked dots. "Please don't tell me."

Melissa winced and did anyway, "This is the victim's wife, the survivor. She was brought in after the attack because the stress caused her to go into premature labor. We couldn't stop it so we performed a C-Section and while she was resting, someone slipped into her room and smothered her to death. The baby doesn't even have a name and it's an orphan."

Noah rubbed his eyes. _What the hell!_ There is no way the two murders aren't connected but it was a completely different M.O. Stiles description of the creature and their limited knowledge of the previous murders, there was no reason to believe that the creature couldn't have killed the woman at the scene of her husband's death but she wasn't. And now, another person had been killed but this time in the hospital. Noah was going to have to report the negligence, after Stiles's kidnapping and now this—it was too important to _not_ report though if Stiles was an indication there wouldn't be anything done.

"I'm going to need to see the security footage. What's going to happen with the baby?"

Melissa shook her head, "We'll have to call Children Services, and they are going to have to take it from there," she paused. "What's going on here Noah?"

Noah shook his head, "I don't know. This isn't one killer but there is no way that a husband and wife's murders aren't connected despite the differences in the method of death. We'll have to see if there is anything else in the autopsy. I need to get back to the house, check on the kids."

Melissa nodded, "How's Stiles doing?"

"He's doing okay, apparently he's sleeping at the moment. Thank god for that. How's Scott been?"

Melissa waved her hands in a vague gesture, "I don't really know, Isaac has been coming over a lot but he's been so disconnected from everything and I'm worried."

Noah nodded, "Well at least he's spending time with someone, from what Stiles and Derek have told me, close contact with others is important to werewolves."

Melissa nodded then pressed a hand to his shoulder in comfort, "I'll let you know if anything else is figured out and I will get those security feeds over to the station. It's not my job, but I'll get the request in immediately."

Noah nodded and gripped Melissa's hand for a moment before he walked away. He headed back to the station to get an update before driving back to the house. It was dark and quiet as he walked inside. Allison and Lydia were sleeping together on the couch in the living room, under one of their extra blankets. There was a lamp on in the study so he headed that way, opening the door to find Derek there. He was sitting on the couch with a laptop, looking at something.

"How was it?" Derek asked him, not looking up at Noah as he asked.

"The victim's wife was smothered to death in the hospital, two different method of death but inexorably connected because they were married. I don't understand what's happening in this town. The wife was pregnant, the baby survived and now its alone."

Derek sighed, "I hate this town."

Noah winced, "What are you looking at?"

"Alpha Ito sent me some information about various creatures that her pack has come up against. I haven't found anything that jumps out according to Stiles's description. I grew up in this world and I didn't know about most of these things. I'm sure the second Stiles has a minute he's going to be all over this information and that will help. I hate to say it but I am out of my depth here, my sister was the one training to be an alpha so she was the one with all this information. She was the one who went places with my mother. A few of my cousins and older relatives as well because they were a part of her inner circle. They were her Enforcers and her mentor, her wise council. I was just her brat son."

Noah walked over and sat down next to Derek, "You're her son. I doubt that you were a brat."

Derek smiled a little, "Actually I was pretty full of myself before the fire. I was in love with a girl and she was everything, then she was nothing. Instead of talking to my mother, I hid what Peter did, what I did, leaving me open to Kate's shit."

Noah wrapped an arm around Derek's shoulder, "I wish I knew her better so I could help you move through this but there is someone who knew your mother who's still alive."

Derek glanced over, "I know I said I was willing to go see Peter but I don't want to talk to him about that. I don't even know if I can get over the fact that he killed my sister."

Noah sighed, "Okay. Well maybe we can plan to go see Peter tomorrow or the next day while the others are in school. He's your only family left. I don't think you should lose that, especially since you chose to not kill him."

Derek nodded, staying focused on the computer in front of him. When Noah got up Derek watched him, "Are you going back to see him again?"

Noah shrugged and thought about the man in solitary, dying from loneliness and the absence of his pack. He shouldn't care at all. There was no reason Noah should care about Peter Hale but maybe it was restitution for not caring about Talia Hale when his wife cared so much about Talia being in his and Stiles's life. "You didn't see him Derek, he felt betrayed by Laura and he was out of his mind. I have no acceptance for what he did and how he went about biting kids who hadn't consented. It's not like with Erica, where you aren't even going to offer until she has a chance to see what you are all about. You're doing it better than he was able to but I can't help but think maybe if he'd gone with you or something, maybe Scott wouldn't have been bit, maybe Kate would be behind bars right now serving a sentence she very much deserves to serve. I can't do anything about the past but maybe I see something redeemable in Peter. I don't really know. Maybe I'm just a sucker."

"Yeah," Derek responded, "Maybe you are but we won't know unless you try."

Noah smiled, "Don't stay up too late okay?"

Derek nodded and went back to the readings on the screen as Noah walked upstairs and opened the guest room door to see Boyd sleeping soundly on the floor next to the interior wall. He frowned at the sight then realized the girls had moved while he was talking to Derek. They were in the bed, overflowing the mattress. He closed the door again and moved to Stiles's room and checked to see his son was sleeping, curled up on his side with his arm wrapped around Echo's stomach. The big dog's ear perked as he opened the door, her tail thumped lightly on the bed but she recognized him so she didn't move into defensive mode. Noah closed the door again and headed to his bedroom to prepare for a little sleep. He would be back at the station in a couple hours to deal with the newest deaths in Beacon Hills.

Noah was just settling down into his mattress when he heard the pounding downstairs.

Derek looked up from the computer when he heard the labored breathing, the rapid patter of a packmate's heartbeat just before someone started knocking on the door. Derek heard everyone upstairs snap awake while he moved to the door and listened again.

It was Jackson.

Derek opened the door, only to catch Jackson as he fell forward into the house like he'd been bearing all his weight into the door on the other side. Jackson listed a little in Derek's arms and coughed wetly. Derek rubbed Jackson's back, waiting for his normal standoffishness to surface but Jackson just pressed closer then Derek scented the blood, surprised that it took him so long.

He pushed Jackson back and started looking for the wound, for something to explain the blood when he saw the trickle down the side of Jackson's mouth.

"Jackson, what happened?"

"Hunter, in the woods. I don't know how I even got out there. I was with Danny, he broke up with his boyfriend. We passed out drinking."

"You got drunk?" Derek questioned, too surprised to stop it from escaping his mouth.

Jackson snorted then coughed again, "Okay thanks 'Dad'! Not really the point here. The hunters shot me!"

Derek rolled his eyes at Jackson inevitable sass, "Not why I was wondering, werewolves don't get drunk. Not important. Was it a Wolfsbane bullet? Where's the wound?"

Jackson shifted on the floor as the stairs filled with the rest of the house's inhabitants, worry and anxiety flowing off them all. Derek ignored them for the search of the wound which was on Jackson's right hip. It looked like the bullet shattered his hip but it was knitting back together albeit slowly, almost slowly enough to warrant a hospital visit. But it was healing. Derek pressed his hand to the bare skin between the beta's pants and shirt, leeching some of Jackson's pain and giving him a little transfer of energy, something he figured he would be able to do since he helped Stiles after he'd been hospitalized. It wasn't much, but it was something.

To which Jackson responded, "Hey fag, watch it!"

Derek growled while the others moved off the stairs. Boyd moved close enough to take Jackson's other side and they moved him to the couch on his good side. Lydia moved close to press a hand to his head. Jackson looked up at her.

"Maybe you wouldn't get shot if you weren't such an asshole," she crooned. Jackson snorted and kept holding her hand despite the saccharine sweet name-calling. Derek looked over at Stiles who was standing on the stairs with Echo on one side and Noah on the other.

Derek walked over to them, "It's not wolfsbane or silver, someone shot him but he's healing. There's always people on patrol, though I am concerned that Jackson doesn't remember getting out into the forest. Maybe after some rest, he'll have more?"

Noah nodded and nudged Stiles who was suspiciously quiet and it paired badly with the anxious scent from his pores, "It's time for some more sleep kiddo. Despite the stupid supernatural shenanigans, you have to keep up your school work. Actually everyone, lets head to bed. Derek are you going to stay with Jackson?"

"Yes, probably going to keep Boyd with me so we can take shifts." Derek figured he was going to have to call Alpha Ito back again, there were only more questions. He was going to owe her a lot of favors before this was done, though they were going to have a pretty tight alliance as well.

"Okay well, the rest of you, go to sleep," Noah reiterated and they all did what he said. Derek didn't mind for once, this wasn't pack business and he wasn't their father, nor did he want to be despite Jackson's accusing snark. Derek pressed a kiss to Stiles's cheek before walking back into the living room. Derek used his pain drain to help keep Jackson comfortable, glad that the beta was enough in touch with his wolf that he's able to heal.

Boyd sat down in the other chair, while Derek sat on the floor in front of the couch. Jackson was slipping in and out of consciousness, trying to let the healing do the work so he pressed a hand to Jackson's ankle and kept pulling the pain. Derek made some notes for his next call with Alpha Ito and waited to see if Jackson would need anything.

"I don't know how I got out there, in the forest," Jackson whispered and Derek looked over at him.

"Did you black out?" Derek asked, sometimes that can happen.

Jackson shrugged then winced. Jackson tightened up and his scent filled with fear, "I was with Danny. I need to make sure I didn't do anything to hurt him."

Derek pressed a hand back to Jackson's leg, "We will call him in the morning. If you have your cell phone, you could send him a text now though who knows if he's going to text back."

Jackson fumbled for his phone and tapped out a quick message. "He's probably still up, probably freaking about my disappearance?"

Derek listened to the fast taps and waited as Jackson's hands flopped down to his chest again. Derek didn't know he'd gone to sleep until Jackson shifted and cursed, he snapped upright and looked around wondering when it got so light at night. Derek shook off the stupor of exhaustion and anxiety and looked at the phone to see it was about five in the morning. Boyd was still sitting in the other chair, reading something he'd probably swiped from the Stilinski library. The others would be waking up soon since there was only one shower here and the hot water would never survive all the teenagers attempting to get ready for school.

Derek took a minute to realize what woke him to begin with and shifted to look at Jackson who was still curled up on the couch. There was no more peaking bone, no more blood and mutilated flesh so even though it took a little longer than normal he was healing. "Jackson, are you okay?"

"Danny has some pretty disgusting pictures of us super drunk before he passed out. He's glad to know that I'm okay but apparently, he passed out hard and didn't even realize I was gone. Why would I block that out? Running out to the forest, is this a werewolf thing that you didn't tell me about?"

Derek shook his head, "Jackson, you seem capable of doing impossible things so no this isn't a werewolf thing. Sometimes when the wolf has been 'bottled up' for to long, it can take the reins on a full moon but we've been working hard on bringing the wolf out so I don't know what's going on. We'll figure it out."

Jackson sneered at him but he smelled content and grateful, the sickly sweet scent of happy to be with pack but mixed up with shame. Maybe he was still ashamed for needing the pack and an alpha? Jackson spoke, "Don't think because I came here that I'm ready to be one of your betas."

"I would never," Derek said, holding his hands up in surrender because sassy Jackson was just a guarantee and when he was needy it made him worse. Derek hoped that someday Jackson would accept that he was wanted and needed here but Derek didn't want to force it, there had been too much of that already in Beacon Hills. His mother had always tried to coax her betas to her first, she used her Alpha Voice for things sometimes that didn't need it and Derek resented her for it. Controlling the pack wasn't necessary, not when they all wanted to be there. Derek figured he was being an idiot but he had hope for Scott too.

"Well since I am no longer bleeding and shedding pieces of bone, I am going home to shower before another hellish day of high school," Jackson said as he pushed up off the couch. Derek moved so they wouldn't have to touch each other while the teen grabbed his shoes which they'd pulled off the night before. Jackson shoved his foot into the corresponding shoe, then repeated the process with the other, still looking choppy and slow. Nothing like the naturally formed athlete they all knew Jackson was.

Jackson stopped at the door just before he opened it and looked back at Derek, "Was there…" he paused, swallowed audibly and started again, "Was there another death last night?"

Derek took a deep calming breath and nodded, "Yes, a young man in the woods and later his pregnant wife was killed. The murders left the new born child an orphan. Sad, huh?"

Jackson swallowed again, "Yeah, that's sad." Without another word, he left the house. Derek listened as Jackson dialed someone just after closing the door and whispering, "Someone needs you. I'll tell you about it when I get home."

Then he was out of range of Derek's hearing. He would puzzle that out later, after he'd had some more sleep in a bed. Derek walked up the stairs and wandered into Stiles's room and watched fondly as Echo saw him and shimmied out from under Stiles's arm and made room for Derek on the bed. Stiles was already stirring; his alarm was going to blare in about fifteen minutes so Derek settled next to the human and pushed in close to him for a little closeness before the day started for real.


	19. Making New 'Friends'

Allison watched as Stiles and Echo bore the brunt of more rumors after what happened with the mechanic. The dog was lucky, she didn't know that they were staring and whispering. Stiles was human and he knew they were staring and whispering but he was keeping his head up as best he could.

People were too busy speculating that Stiles must be involved rather than empathizing that he'd watched the mechanic die, heard him torn apart. She stayed close to him, Lydia bookending him in on the other side. Jackson and Danny were surprisingly walking with them in between classes as well. Most of the time, Jackson still pretended that they didn't know each other in the school halls unless he was being a jerk to Lydia, hitting on Allison or shoving Stiles. Though they all knew that he could hurt Stiles so the shoves always ended up coming off more friendly then antagonistic.

"Hey Allison," someone called out as they were walking to their second class of the day. She turned and smiled as a guy walked up to them to be polite. She thought he looked familiar but his name wasn't coming to mind, of course the first several months of school had been spent mooning over Scott and then being turned into a werewolf, her pack was lucky she remembered their names sometimes. At least there were only a few to keep track of.

"Hey?" she asked but tried to make it sound nice.

Stiles and the others continued a few steps forward to give some semblance of human privacy even though Jackson would still be able to hear, if he was in connection to his wolf today.

"Matt. Matt Daehler."

"Oh, hi, sorry I am still getting to know everyone," Allison responded.

"Look, I was just wondering if I could get some shots for the yearbook, since you are one of the new students. Just hoping to see how you are settling in and get to know you a little bit? Maybe over lunch?"

Allison frowned, "You mean like a date?"

Matt smiled but it didn't go all the way to his eyes, "Maybe like a date, yeah. I didn't think you were with Scott anymore. Actually, I guess I should have asked if you were with Stiles, no one could help but notice their falling out. People have been guessing whether it had to do with you or not."

Allison snuck a glance over to Stiles who was politely _not_ looking at Allison and Matt, "Falling out?"

"Yeah, I know you haven't been here for long you must have noticed that Scott and Stiles are pretty much inseparable and they have been for a long time. Since elementary school anyway. Then suddenly he was hanging out with the lacrosse kids and you were spending time with Stiles. Is that what happened? Come on, Allison, inquisitive minds want to know."

Allison frowned confused by the jump from 'date and photos for the yearbook' to 'I need to know what you're up to' from the guy. She glanced over at the others, Lydia was tapping her delicate watch, giving Allison a way out of the strange and uncomfortable conversation, "I'm not dating anyone at the moment. Sorry but I gotta get to class, I am going to have to talk to you later, maybe for the pictures? Thanks, Matt."

She rushed off to join the others, "What was that about?" Stiles asked her.

"Clearly flirting," Allison said, "Apparently what this group is doing is big news around here."

Lydia scoffed and stated with ease, "Jackson and I are here, of course it's important."

"Weird," Stiles said with a shake of his head as they set off to one of their classes.

"Weird what?" Allison asked him.

"Most days I cannot deal with the fact that I am hanging out with Lydia Martin, let alone people caring about what I am doing."

"They apparently think you and I are dating," Allison responded since there was no way he could have heard that.

Stiles's surprised gaze snapped over to her, "What? I mean, you are a feisty vixen who deserves to be wooed and whatnot but no. I would never do that to Derek and honestly, I wouldn't do that to Scott. He loves you even if he's being a shit and right now you could do better."

Allison smiled, leaned over and pressed her nose to his shoulder, scent marking him and laughed, "This is part of the problem obviously. Scent marking in public. I should stop."

"Should maybe," Stiles responded and Allison could feel that deep instinctual need whine when Stiles continued as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "But I don't like that idea at all and you know what, its none of anyone's business why we like to be close."

Allison giggled and leaned into Stiles side as Lydia moved to her other side and slid her hand into Allison's palm and said with a wink, "Just to really confuse them."

Allison smiled, warmed by their closeness. Deciding to put Matt and the rumors out of her mind as they focused on class. Everything was normal until lunch time. Thankfully Derek and Stiles had started cooking things for them to take with because everything in the lunchroom was over processed garbage and Allison couldn't stomach eating any of it though Stiles still consumed the lunch room meals sometimes. Jackson always brought some expensive lunch and mostly refused to take food from the Stilinski house unless it was cookies, then he took as many as he could squirrel away. Lydia made most of her lunches with her mom but she liked they cookies and every once in a while, she would take homemade goodies.

Today was carrot and celery sticks, some homemade cookies and sandwiches on homemade bread with real cheese and chopped up chicken breast. There were three sandwiches in her sack, which she didn't advertise to the world. Being a werewolf meant that she didn't have to count calories and she was hungry _all the time!_

"Hey Allison, can I sit with you?"

She looked up and saw Matt standing next to the end of the table, then glanced around the table because it wasn't like she was alone but maybe he was trying to fix the weirdness of earlier. Jackson and Danny were sitting across from her, Lydia and Stiles were sitting on either side of Allison and they were all staring at him in surprise. Allison was trying to get over the surprise enough to say something but she didn't get there fast enough.

"Dude, take a hike!" Jackson said in his normal manner.

"Jacks," Lydia admonished but he was just staring at Matt, his nostrils flaring in a distinctive werewolf manner, which could very well be a problem. Jackson had a bad track record of control, most of the time that meant he couldn't shift but she didn't want to find out the hard way that it worked the other way as well.

Allison took a breath and smiled, smelling the arousal coming off of Matt in waves, it was almost oppressive even in the open space of the cafeteria so she opened her mouth just enough that she could breathe through her mouth, "Matt, maybe another time?"

He nodded, turned and walked away to sit down at another table though he continued to stare.

"So out of his league," Jackson snorted.

Stiles chuckled, "Hey I said that about Lydia Martin and now we're buds and I'm dating Derek Hale."

"But are you doing anything with him?" Jackson asked and Stiles's scent filled with anxiety and shame. Allison reached out and pressed a hand to his shoulder to help him shake off the words of their supposed friend Jackson Whittemore.

"I'm thinking its none of your fucking business but seriously, you know what she did to me," Stiles whispered.

Jackson opened his mouth to say something else but he didn't get the chance.

"Shut up Jackson," Lydia retorted before Allison could say anything.

Stiles visibly shook off the thing that Jackson brought up, "Matt likes you, its obvious," he said as he looked over at Allison. His scent was still tinged with anger and anxiety, a weird mix of fear talking for the sake of anger as opposed to shame. Allison rubbed his shoulder gently.

She shrugged and looked over at Lydia who was just glaring at Jackson who didn't seem to be very perturbed by her scathing view of his person. Jackson didn't really care what anyone thought of him but at the same time, cared what everyone thought of him.

"Well I don't really have time for dealing with Matt at the moment," Allison declared.

"Well deal with this," Jackson declared loftily because apparently the five minutes they weren't focused on him was just too much, "My parents are adopting the baby girl, the one whose parents were killed, if they can. They are going to foster her for the time being."

Allison stared at him, along with everyone else at the abrupt change in subject and what he said. "You made a call to your dad about the baby, when you were leaving the Stilinski's house." It wasn't a question, she heard the call because the door opening downstairs woke her this morning.

Jackson shrugged but she knew, something was going on there and if she gave a damn about Jackson she would ask more questions but she didn't. There was no point in caring about Jackson when he was like this.

Allison heard the footfalls before she turned and saw the flash of the camera. Allison winced in surprise as Stiles jumped up from the table, "Come on Daehler, just leave it be!" he shouted and Matt scurried away.

She shook off the blinding flash that she could still see behind closed eyes, when Stiles touched her shoulder, "Are you getting the stalker vibe from him?"

Allison shrugged and went back to eating. She rested her head on Stiles's shoulder for a few minutes before they all got up to take Echo out for her lunchtime walk outside. She looked around and noticed that Matt wasn't lurking anymore. Part time stalker?

The rest of the week passed in school, homework and training. Matt started appearing around every corner, trying to not only befriend and flirt with Allison but also the others. Jackson and Lydia were straightforward and curt with him, Stiles was getting sarcastic and Danny was flirting back despite the seeming straightness of Matt and his mile-wide crush on Allison. She couldn't tell if Danny had a crush or if he was just weirded out about the guy's sudden interest in all of them.

The scent of his arousal was so potent, Allison could scent him from about thirty yards off but as Friday came to a close, it was starting to smell a little like anger. She needed to talk to Derek about some of the more subtle notes in people's scent and how to distinguish them. Thankfully the scent of anger didn't become anything more than a smell and they all got into cars and headed home.

As usual Allison, Lydia and Boyd were all at the Stilinski's place on Saturday for pack bonding time. They had already done their training in the back and Boyd was still kicking her ass three out of five times but she was getting better and it seemed like the more they practiced, the faster the aches and pains healed. They were currently sprawled out in the living room after lunch, Derek and Stiles were curled up on one of the live seats and Lydia and Allison shared the couch with Boyd. Then Papa Stilinski came in through the door and looked at all of them. He smelled afraid.

"Dad, what is it?" Stiles asked, sitting up quickly seeing something in the man's features and body language that she only knew because she was a werewolf.

"There was another murder," he said.

Everyone in the room tensed and looked around at each other, Stiles already grappling with his laptop, "Who was it?"

Noah sighed like he knew this was coming and there was no stopping it, pulled out the notebook he always carried with him, "Name: Brewster, Steven. His prints were in the system because he'd been suspected of killing his business partner a couple years ago."

"Wait!" Stiles shouted and all the wolves flinched. Allison bopped Stiles on the shoulder gently. Dealing with an excited Stiles sometimes was painful for the newer wolves who were still learning to control their preternatural senses.

"Wait what?" Derek asked.

"There was something on the other guy, Richard Carter. He was in a car crash and it killed the other driver. There was litigation and a payout. What did the information say about that thing that Alpha Ito sent us?" Stiles snapped his fingers, trying to remember something as he feverishly looked through his computer. "I think it started with a 'K'. There was something about vengeance and murderers."

Derek frowned and Allison watched as he pulled something up on his phone and flipped a couple of screen shots before he asked, "Was it Kanima?"

"Yes!" Stiles shouted and Allison bopped in him on the head again as she stood up and moved away from the overexcited human. Stiles waved her off good naturedly while Derek looked up Kanima.

"Oh," Derek said, visibly deflating despite their excitement of learning what it was.

"What is it?" Papa Stilinski asked.

"Kanima: like the wolf, its power is greatest at the moon's peak. Kanima is a social creature though it does not seek a pack, it seeks a master. The only known record was a Kanima used by a South American priest who used it to act as a weapon of vengeance against murderers."

"So not all bad?" Stiles asked.

Derek continued, "When the bond between Master and servant grew strong enough, the Kanima would kill anyone the Master wanted them to kill."

"Very very bad, all bad," Stiles groaned, rubbing his hands over his head.

"The Kanima is a mutation of the werewolf gene and they cannot fully transform until the Kanima has resolved that in its past which manifested it."

"What does that mean?"

Derek kept looking over the entry, "It looks like the mutation happens when there is a disconnect, the Kanima doesn't know who they are. That's why they take this other shape. And of course, as we know, it has a paralytic toxin that comes from its claws."

"So," Allison said, "They were murderers, the mechanic and the couple in the woods too? I can totally believe Bennett, my dad's hunter is a killer because from what I can tell, most of the hunters kill at some point whether it is truly necessary or not."

"And that's why the Kanima didn't touch me at the mechanic's place? I wasn't a threat and I didn't kill anyone."

Papa Stilinski sighed, "Okay, does this information help us at all? Help us find the creature and stop it from killing again?"

"Now that we have a name to put to the creature, we can start to figure that out but it doesn't look like there is a lot of information about killing it, only redeeming it. I mean thankfully that means that it can be saved."

"Should it be saved?" Stiles asked, "They killed people."

"From what Derek is describing, it sounds like the Kanima isn't aware of what it's doing, more like its being controlled by this other person," Papa Stilinski declared and Stiles shrugged.

"So we really do have two people to worry about," Derek said, "The Kanima which has to be someone who's been bitten. And then someone who is controlling the Kanima. Is there a way to figure out what's connecting the others? The mechanic, and the couple?"

Stiles raised his hand, still tapping on his computer for a second. "It looks like they all went to Beacon Hills, they are the same age. Even Bennett is the same age, maybe there's something there."

Papa Stilinski made a couple notes, "We will look into it. Allison and Lydia, you should make an appearance at home and we will see you later."

Allison and Lydia nodded and donned their jackets and shoes, hugging everyone as they walked out and get in their cars. She waved to Lydia before she headed back to her house, frowning at the new cars in the driveway. They were similar to her dad's vehicle but there were more of them. She got out of the car and walked up to the door, taking a deep breath and listening to the murmurs and the heartbeats inside before she opened the door and walked in not needing to act surprised about the guests inside.

"Allison, good your home!" her mother called out and Allison smiled as she walked into the office where everyone was standing around.

Her mom and dad were there, as well as an older man that she vaguely recognized as her paternal grandfather from a few pictures she'd seen over the years and a few visits.

 _Oh shit,_ she thought at the sight of him.

There were two men and a woman about the same age as her grandfather and they were in good shape, like they must still be chasing werewolves kind of shape and there were another three people somewhere around her parent's age.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Allison," her dad called, "This is my dad Gerard, he's your grandfather. These are my uncles and aunt, Gabriel, Oliver and Aria." Each one nodded to her in turn.

"And these are your father's cousins," her mother jumped in and introduced the other three as, "Amelia, Isabella and Landon."

"Are we having a party or something?" Allison asked with a chuckle. "Some sort of Argent family reunion?"

Chris took her around the shoulders and he walked her out of the room waving to his dad with a politician's smile, heading towards the garage. Once the door was closed between them and the others, her dad's smile dropped into a frown, "I don't know why they are here Ally, but all of them are hunters. Some follow the code like I do and don't believe in killing wolves without good reason but the ones he's brought with him, they are going to be very anti-werewolf and 'For the Code, kill yourself'. This is bad. I can't guarantee that any of them won't try to kill you or try to convince you to kill yourself. I am going to figure out why they are here but I need you to stay out of their way as much as you can. Okay?"

Allison nodded, "Are they here because of Aunt Kate?"

Her dad sighed, "I don't know but probably. Hunters attempt to police their own, having Kate wanted for the murders as well as Stiles's abduction is 'bad for business' but I don't know what they think they are going to do since the Sheriff has irrefutable proof of her guilt."

"I need to tell Derek and you should probably go before they start wondering what's going on in here."

Her dad just shrugged, "I am scheduling our next training session, of course." He turned to walk out then stopped and turned again, "Don't let any of them touch you, like your neck or anything. Werewolves can hear the upticks in a lie but we can learn it through someone's heartbeat at the pulse points. Unless you know you can get away with the lie, don't let them touch you."

Allison nodded though she wasn't planning on letting any of them touch her anyway. She wasn't going to carry around more of that hunter stench near her pack. It was hard enough seeing the look on Derek's face when she came to the Stilinski residence straight from home. Allison could smell the leftover fear and anxiety from so many years before.

She left the garage, heading for her room and closing the door before she sent a text to the pack about Beacon Hill's newest hunter arrivals complete with descriptions of what they looked like and for the wolves, what they smelled like before she flopped back on her bed, wondering what the hell was going to come next.

Stiles and Derek both reached for their phones at the mingled ringtone warnings and opened the incoming message from Allison then shared a look. It took a minute to go over everything Allison sent.

"This is bad right?" Stiles whispered.

Derek swallowed convulsively, trying to keep his hands from shaking as he put the phone down. "We don't know anything yet, we don't know what any of them are like. We need to be ready for anything."

Stiles panted, his heart rate leaping into that fast rhythm to match the anxiety Derek could smell on him, "You should bite me."

Derek stared at him in surprise, "It's a little early in our relationship for a biting thing, isn't it?"

Stiles snorted, "You know I mean the Bite, like with a capital 'B'. You know, for 'Beta'?"

"You don't want to be a werewolf," Derek responded, reaching out and touching Stiles's hand gently, wanting to calm them both with some connection.

"My being a werewolf will make you stronger right?" Stiles asked.

"Betas can make the Alpha stronger and vice versa but that's not a good enough reason to become a werewolf. You don't want to be a werewolf and I am not going to turn you for that. I don't want to be that kind of Alpha, selfish and saying yes because it's better for me."

Stiles nodded, turning his hand over so their fingers would link together comfortably, "Then we need more help. If they are here for the Kanima or here for us, we need help. We need power."

Derek leaned forward and pressed his forehead to Stiles's temple, "You might be right."

"I know just where to get some," Stiles said with a squeeze.


	20. Pack Power

Stiles walked through the halls of the hospital with Echo's claws clicking along the ground, making a comforting sound in the astringent building. After his mom he hated this place, and after he'd been here after the attack it wasn't like it got any better. He stopped in front of the well-known door and knocked, bringing her dark brown eyes over to him. Stiles smiled, noticing the pockmarked skin, the zits and the matted hair. He noticed the way she smiled brightly back at him despite how long it had been or how out of it she looked. That was something he'd always liked about Erica Reyes, her ability to smile anyway, even if she was struggling to function from day to day.

"Stiles Stilinski, is that you?" she asked, her voice strong and buoyant even though her body seemed unable to keep up with her spirit.

He walked all the way inside and closed the door behind him, there were cameras but they didn't have sound. He checked with Melissa before coming here. Erica sat up in the bed, shuddering a little with the effort and took in the sight of Echo before she looked back at Stiles.

"Hey Erica, this is Echo. I figured you might be here since your normal check in day was on Sundays. I was just hoping that is."

She smiled again though it seemed sadder than before so obviously she knew _why_ Echo was here, "I heard about what happened through the small town grapevine. What happened to you was pretty big news around here, especially when you were taken from the hospital. Can I pet her?"

Stiles released Echo from her service with a quick word and she walked over just as Erica crawled off the side of the bed and pressed her hands into Echo's fur, sighing happily.

"I'm sorry I stopped coming to see you, Erica."

She rolled her eyes as she looked up at him, "Really, Stiles, there is no reason for you to apologize for not coming back to the place where you watched your mother die. Plus, I've been busy with my bustling social life."

Stiles chuckled and sat down next to her with a solid thump, "I heard it was getting worse?"

Erica shrugged and kept petting Echo, "The prognosis is possibly good with the new meds that my doctors are talking about but they are experimental and just barely out of drug trials. The seizures are getting worse which sucks, I was hoping to get into public school for my junior year. So everyone can see what they've been missing," she waggled her eyebrows comically.

Stiles knew this wasn't how Derek wanted to do this, it wasn't how he wanted to do it either, but he didn't think they had much of a choice. The hunters and the Kanima, things were changing and they needed strength. They needed numbers. And he'd been watching Erica fight her own body for years, she would make an excellent werewolf. He didn't have any proof of that beyond his gut but he trusted that. "What if I told you – that all of this could go away? The side effects – the symptoms – all of it. And what if all those things not only went away – but everything got even better?"

Erica laughed clearly as disbelieving as he figured she would be, "Sure, Stiles, whatever you say."

"Scott has asthma you know?" Stiles continued, not really bothered by her skepticism, he'd already dealt with Scott, Melissa and his dad's and he'd convinced all of them.

"Of course, he and I were hospital buddies for years. Until actually this last year. I heard he's doing well on lacrosse now. Did they give him steroids in his inhaler or something?" She winked as she leaned into Echo's ruff, looking tired already.

"Its because something changed, lets call it a radical treatment. The same treatment could help you."

"Then why aren't the doctor's bottling it and selling it for millions?"

"Because they don't know about it, Melissa knows about it and a few others but its going to require you to become something new and different."

"Become what?"

Stiles leaned in close and whispered in her ear, "A werewolf."

Erica pulled back with an incredulous smile, "A what?"

"You heard me," Stiles said and handed over an envelope. "This has all the information you need to know to consider the option, the pros and the cons, what you would be signing up for, including a battle between wolves and hunters. Consider it and don't show anyone the pictures please, they were super hard to get and very private." He'd consolidated all the information himself, taken pictures of Derek with his eyes open and printed them in his room. He also swiped copies of Peter when he attacked the movie rental place, when they caught his transformation on screen. Derek had agreed to the pictures with the express demand that no one but Erica would see them. Stiles also reached inside his pocket and pulled out the cheap flip phone he bought for this reason, "My numbers in there. I need your answer soon, see if we can plan with Melissa to correspond with putting you on 'the new meds' but Erica, trust me when I say that doing this means you don't have to spend the rest of your high school career in a hospital waiting for the next seizure. And you don't have to be alone."

Erica frowned at him but nodded, looking intrigued if nothing else.

With that, Stiles walked out of the room with Echo walking next to him and wondering how Derek was doing.

Trust Stiles to think radically, Derek thought with a smile as he walked through the halls of Eichen House, after relinquishing all of his belongings, shifting his tongue a little around the paperclip he was cheeking. No one thought the swipe the metal detector over him, though any other person wouldn't be able to get out with the paper clip, but Peter wasn't just anyone.

The doctor, whatever his name was, opened the door to where Peter was sitting chained to the desk and Derek was struck with the gauntness in his uncle's face, the desperation in his scent. After a moment of staring, he finally moved to sit across from the older werewolf

"Derek, I have to say I'm surprised to see you here?"

He took a deep breath and listened for recording devices, finding the lack of evidence of one, he blurted out, "Why kill Laura?"

"Derek," Peter sighed.

"No, I need an answer. She was the only reason I survived and she was all I had left. Tell me now."

"You don't understand what it was like to be left by the remainder of your pack, after watching most of them die. I was so angry when I learned that not only did you and Laura survive, but you left me here. I hated her for that, I hated you too. I needed the power to exact my revenge and I took it from her but when it came to killing you because I had opportunity, I couldn't. You are the only other Hale and we were close before everything that happened."

Derek looked away, shame resurfacing again, thinking about Peter's pregnant wife who died in the fire because they hadn't just surrounded the house with mountain ash but also barricaded them inside. If Peter knew about all that, he wouldn't have held back. He'd cost his Uncle everything.

"I know you won't understand this but I'm sorry about Jasmine, about everything that happened. She didn't deserve what happened to her. None of them did."

"All because she married me," Peter muttered and Derek glanced up at him.

"She was so beautiful and innocent, I sometimes wondered how you convinced her to marry you," Derek responded with a small smile, trying to make an effort to connect since he needed his uncle. And it wasn't just that, he'd _missed_ his uncle for years now.

"Jaz knew everything about me, I handed her my police file. I told her about the werewolf thing, when I asked her to marry me it was because I loved her. She said yes, though after the fire I wished many times that she hadn't," Peter responded.

Derek looked down at his hands, watching them shake as he imagined them covered in blood, the way they were that night. "For my part in leaving you, part of it was because Laura was the alpha and all I had ever known was to listen to my Alpha but also, after the events with Paige which we both know you were a part of, I was selfishly relieved I wouldn't have to face you. I hated you too after that. But you were different with Jasmine and I couldn't stand telling you what happened."

"Derek," Peter said, "Look at me."

Derek looked up at his uncle, wondering what he could possibly want to say. They had the same cheekbones, and there were other Hale attributes that they shared and Derek needed that. He was so grateful for Boyd and Allison and Stiles and Lydia but Peter was family, no matter how much they'd fucked each other over in the past. Derek couldn't make that mean nothing.

"I know about Kate." Peter started and Derek stared, open mouthed at his Uncle.

"What?"

"I knew about your tryst with her and while I was trapped in my body thinking it over and over, I realized what happened and despite how much I hated you for abandoning me, I knew she must have used you. But after the murders and being stuck here, I am starting to really understand that between my actions and what happened with Paige and your mother sweeping it under the rug, we all had a part to play in you feeling a part from the pack instead of a part of."

Derek started, still frozen until the paperclip slipped down a little and Peter must have seen it because his eyes narrowed. Derek snapped his mouth closed with an audible click of his teeth. He shifted the paper clip back into his cheek again, "You knew? How could you know? How could you not tell me?"

"I didn't know what she was until it was too late but come on Derek. I was one of your mother's lieutenants because I was smart. Does it help that you don't have to hide this? Does it help with whatever you're here for now?"

Derek tried to shake off the revelation and get back to what he'd come here for, "You won't be Alpha, you understand?"

Peter nodded, "Let me watch Kate flop like a fish? Let me kill her?"

Derek swallowed, it was awkward as he was attempting to not swallow the little piece of metal in his mouth not because it would hurt him but because this trip would be for nothing and he would have to come back. Derek could understand why his Uncle looked so defeated, the scents in here was nothing and there was no comfort.

He nodded, "You willing to stand as one of my lieutenants and an Enforcer of the Hale Pack then?"

Peter's eyes flashed bright for a second but whatever protections in place pushed back and Peter winced in pain. He shook it off after a second and nodded. Derek subtly wiped his face, slipping the paper clip into his hand and palming it down to the table where he reached out and passed it over to his uncle, thankfully no one seemed to be watching. If it didn't work to his benefit, Derek would consider telling someone that it's not a very good way to deal with a murder suspect. He needed this murder suspect though, no matter how heinous his actions were.

"Then do what you have to do to come home. Quietly. I don't care how, as long as you don't kill people to make it happen."

Peter scoffed, rolling his eyes though he looked and smelled too tired to make much of a mess on the way out, "Why do you take all the fun?"

"It's my job," Derek responded, getting up and pressing a hand to his uncle's shoulder and leaning down to kiss to the side of his head, feeling and scenting the desperate desire to be held by pack, "Soon, Uncle. Soon."

Derek headed out, taking his belongings from the nurse who was standing outside the door, looking bored and not a little concerned about the visit. Derek gave him a quick nod and headed out. Derek wondered if Stiles was going to wuss out and wait until he got home before he informed Noah of what they were doing.

He didn't like the idea of having Peter out again, especially since he is just going to be a wanted man but dealing with Hunters and Kanimas hopefully won't be a 'during the daylight hours' kind of issue and with Noah's help they would be able to keep the other deputies off their back.

He took out his phone and started checking messages, making sure there wasn't anything blowing up that needed his attention immediately.

"Mr. Hale, I presume?"

Derek looked up and scented that signature hunter scent first, catching sight of Chris and an older man standing next to the Camaro. From Allison's description, this was undoubtedly Gerard Argent, Chris's father. Why the hell were they here?

"Hunter, I presume?" Derek asked with a raised brow as he kept walking towards the car, calling Stiles then shoving his phone in his pocket, mostly because having Stiles aware of the situation made him feel a little more in control then he actually was.

A couple seconds later he heard Stiles's tinny voice coming from the phone, "Der?"

"Visiting your uncle?" Gerard asked.

"Not that it's any of your business hunter," Derek scoffed and unlocked his door, giving his back to the two men. He had no intention of letting them know how much he hated doing that. If they were here to posture then he was going to as well. Stiles must have set his side on mute because there wasn't anything anymore but the slight buzz of connection. Good. If he needed any kind of record of this conversation then he would have it.

"You didn't answer?" Gerard snarked.

Derek nodded and turned to look at the cranky older hunter, "I can see why you're still alive at your age, keen observational skills and the willingness to kill the innocent."

Chris coughed then choked off the sound.

Derek shifted to look at him with eyebrow raised, "Truth hard to swallow, protégé Argent?"

"Derek don't make this harder than it has to be," Chris said then groaned and his dad gave him a shocked look, possibly because Chris referred to him by name.

He ignored it. "Make what harder?" he asked, a picture of innocent curiosity even though he knew exactly what this was.

"The Argents reclaiming this territory."

Derek snorted, opened the door and moved to get in before he stopped and glared at them both. "You are welcome to be here Hunter Argent, I have not said any differently to your son in the time I have been home but I promise you that the Hale's have been here a lot longer than the Argents and we don't kill innocents so I suggest you go fuck yourself. No offense."

Without another word, he got into the car, started it up and waved a hand at them to get out of the way otherwise he was going to run them over. He was so mad, Derek forgot he'd been on the phone with Stiles until he got to the front door of the Stilinski house and Stiles threw it open, he was panting and flushed, smelling strongly of arousal and desperate need that translated like anxiety.

"Are you okay? Oh God, what happened?" Derek demanded, a little bit of that Alpha timber sneaking into his voice.

"Look Derek, I know we are taking our time but that was hot like burning and I just want to rub myself all over you!"

Derek took another deep breath and the scent of arousal spiked in the room, chuckled in relief that this was all it was and walked into the house moving smoothly into Stiles's personal space. Derek reveled in the brush of their chests, feeling the slight pricks of Stiles's hardened nipples and grinned. It had been forever since he'd felt clean arousal for him that wasn't punctuated by fear in himself. Stiles was the first since Paige to bring it out in him without the desperate desire to be worth anything to another human being.

"Heavy petting and scent marking?" Derek asked, voice smooth and _almost_ unruffled by Stiles's closeness. Almost.

Stiles chuckled, "Asshole! Couch or bed?"

"Couch," Derek responded, the bed was too much like more than he was willing to give right now. "Hands away from the crotch area and you can't climb on me, that's too much right now and I don't know how it will go," Derek continued after a beat.

"Don't touch your dick, got it, I didn't really know what I would do with it at the moment anyway. We should look up porn together."

Derek chuckled at the sudden change in subject, "I don't think that's what Dr. Marcus was talking about when she mentioned doing other 'couple things'," Derek said, letting Stiles drag him over to the living room.

"Watching porn together could totally be a normal thing. More couples should do it instead of this weird taboo nature but that's a totally different essay of societal norms," Stiles said, waving off Derek's concern.

Derek took a deep breath then listened to the house and stalled next to the couch while Stiles flopped down all long limbs and grabbing fingers, "Where the hell is everyone?"

Stiles tried to grab him again and Derek pulled away gently, Stiles moaned like he was dying and answered, "Dad is checking in at the station, Allison, Lydia and Jackson are at their respective homes and Boyd took Echo for a walk."

Derek snarled, "They left you alone?"

Stiles rolled his eyes, "I have been alone before Big Guy, Boyd literally left like two minutes ago, he has his cell phone and I knew you were coming back here. Please don't ruin this by coddling me."

Derek sighed and finally let Stiles pull him down, "How long do we have?"

"About twenty minutes," Stiles muttered and moved to drag Derek's leather jacket off his shoulders and toss it over the back of the couch. Derek pressed his hands into Stiles's waist, keeping the teenager from climbing into his lap, much to Stiles's displeasure.

"Please, Derek?"

"Patience," Derek responded. Stiles groaned and Derek couldn't stop the smile from flitting over his lips then settling when he pressed his nose into the human's neck and rubbed into the skin there. Keeping his chest pressed into Stiles's side so he wasn't trapping the human.

Stiles moaned happily, pressing his hands into Derek's shoulders. Stiles's head slumped backwards on the couch to give Derek more space and though he didn't want or need this to go anywhere, he grunted when his penis stiffened in his pants which he still didn't experience outside morning wood very often these days.

"Other side please?" Stiles directed. Derek moved across Stiles's body and scent marked Stiles's throat on the other side.

"Are you okay?" Derek whispered, happy that Stiles's arousal smelled nothing like Kate or the other conquests he'd had in the past. He smelled so clean, it was arousal but it was caring and pack and love.

Stiles whimpered, nodding and pushed his hand around to the back of Derek's neck and pulled him into a wet open-mouthed kiss. Derek moaned into it, though he cut it short when he felt Stiles trying to climb into his lap again.

"Come on Derek!"

He heard the echo in those words, something he wasn't expecting and jerked back, "Stop." He flashed to the feel of her hair hanging down to tickle his pecs, her voice whispering desperate broken commands and harsh words in his ear when he told her that he was uncomfortable.

Stiles froze and stared at him in surprise, "What? What happened?"

"I can't do this, I can't. Not now. Maybe we should just sit here instead. Maybe it's too much, I won't be like her and I made you and your dad a promise."

Stiles deflated, shame and anger gradually taking over the scent of lust and home, "I don't think you're like her, I just—sometimes I think that you want to just be platonic life partners and that's okay I guess but I am so in lust with you too and maybe I'm a little young to be considering a sexless life even if it is for you because if I did it for anyone it would surely be you. Maybe this is a mistake after all!"

Derek frowned as his shoulders hunched at the anger simmering in the air. He wanted to escape and leave the room, it was too much like her all of a sudden. His breathing turned ragged as he answered, "Wanting you and not wanting it now is not the same thing. What's going on here?"

Stiles shoved away from Derek and stood up, adjusting himself so Derek did the same though the flashback to Kate and talking about the Sheriff had done a lot to tamp down his arousal.

"Oh, Jackson being Jackson. I was making some joke about how once upon a time thinking that Lydia Martin was out of my league and now I'm dating you. And Jackson made some comment about the fact that we aren't doing anything. Maybe I thought he had a point."

Derek frowned, "Jackson's an asshole, don't listen to him."

Stiles glared at him, "Oh fixed! Perfect! Thank you so much Almighty Alpha for that amazing wisdom!"

Derek shook his head, "What's happening right now?"

Stiles waved his hands wildly, "I'm going to take a cold shower, maybe it would be better if you slept on the couch tonight."

With that Stiles stomped away, leaving Derek blinking in surprise. Thankfully he would have an appointment with Dr. Marcus tomorrow, maybe she could shed some light on whatever the hell just happened. And if Stiles wanted to sleep alone then he would just have to live with that for the night. The Stilinski house was already pretty crowded, Derek needed somewhere else to live and even though moving away from Stiles filled him with a gut-wrenching sense of dread, it was probably for the best.

Instead of getting caught up in that though Derek pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Alpha Ito and waited as it rang.

"Derek, you are a needy boy," someone said and it took him a minute to place the voice.

"Braeden?" Derek asked, thinking of the human who worked with Satomi Ito. He had no intention of underestimating her since he knew how difficult and bad ass humans can be but he'd called to speak to another Alpha. "May I speak to Alpha Ito?"

Braeden tutted and he could hear the casually flipping of pages maybe. "She is quite busy this week and you have already called in a lot of help since being introduced to her."

Derek opened his mouth to ask her what she wanted when someone scolded her and took the phone, "Dear Alpha Hale, please ignore Miss Braeden, she does not know her place. I have said I would help you, that means being available for some phone calls."

"I apologize, Alpha Ito, she makes a good point. I need to learn to stand on my own otherwise I will never be the kind of alpha my mother once was," Derek replied, voice as respectful as how he used to speak to his mother and his sister.

Ito tutted impatiently but not unkindly, "I desire not apologies for you seeking my assistance. I have heard news of more Argent hunters in your territory. Are you concerned that you will not be able to hold your own?"

Derek shook his head then sighed, "I have two betas who are very well controlled but another that won't stand by the pack, another that is basically a loose cannon. I cannot bare if something were to happen to them because they weren't prepared to fight or prove that they can be trusted around people. Not to mention one of my betas is an Argent. The Argent's are not well known for being fair, despite Chris being who he is."

"You need some help, you need a second with more experience with wolves, especially turned ones. I shall send you Braeden."

"What?" Derek asked at the same time someone squawked in the background of the call, undoubtedly Braeden. "But she isn't a werewolf."

"But she has been training and working side by side with werewolves for years. I will send her and perhaps several of my younglings, they have been begging for some out of town experience, this may be just the right time for them to enjoy time from the pack."

"You want to send me more pups?" Derek asked incredulously, not understanding how this was going to help him at all.

"You do realize that Argents have held a peace treaty with the Ito Clan for more than two generations now. If they touch one of my wolves, it will bring war to Beacon Hills, and it will tell them that I have claimed the Alpha Hale as one of my protected packs, it is only for a short time but it will help without stepping on your toes, much of this is more political and has to go through the other Hunters, so it's not just the Argents and their vendetta."

Derek heard as Boyd walked up to the front and came inside, "Okay, thank you. I am also planning on adding at least one more wolf to my ranks. I appreciate the assistance."

"Give yourself some time, Derek, you will learn all the politics and the loopholes just as I did. Please try and remember that your mother did not stand on her own as one of the most powerful alphas in the region without a lot of help in the beginning and sometimes along the way."

"Hopefully before it's too late," Derek said, thinking of the screams coming from inside the Hale house, hearing Stiles's screams from under the Hale house where Peter buried him 'for his own good'.

Not again, he had to learn faster than Laura had.

"It will be, we will be sure of it. Expect Braeden before the end of the week and maybe find a place where my wolves and her can sleep for the time being."

Derek nodded then heard the dial tone and looked at Boyd who was releasing Echo from her chain and staring at Derek questioningly. "There have been some changes."

"I gathered," Boyd said with a smirk but stayed as laconic as usual. It was actually quite comforting. "Are we all going to talk about it tonight."

"I think the others were planning to come over for dinner, we can talk about it then."

Boyd nodded, happy to know the plan even if that meant he wasn't going to get any information now. Boyd, despite his origins, was an excellent beta and worth more than his weight in gold to Derek as a second though that position hadn't been offered or granted in the most obvious way. Hopefully bringing Braeden wouldn't hurt Boyd. He would take some time to talk to him later.

Boyd took a deep breath, wrinkling his nose, "Well it smells like you guys didn't have the nice time that Stiles was planning?"

Derek nodded, snapped to bring Echo over for a pat on the head before she took off up the stairs to where Stiles was getting out of the shower and heading to his bedroom. "I don't know what just happened."

"Teenage boy being a teenager?" Boyd offered with a shrug and Derek nodded, that's all he had for the moment. "You can take my room, I don't mind sleeping on the couch, I've slept on worse."

Derek shook his head and smiled at his friend, "No need Boyd. I am perfectly okay with sleeping down here even if it is for more than one night. Maybe you should send some text messages to the others to make sure they are going to be here for dinner. Make sure Jackson knows its not a request. Allison is planning to be here and Lydia usually comes whenever Allison is here."

Boyd gave him a snappy salute that was lazy enough to let Derek know Boyd wasn't troubled by being asked to reach out to his packmates.

"Oh, Boyd, are you ready for school tomorrow?" Derek asked him as the big werewolf walked towards the kitchen.

He didn't even pause, "Yup."

"Good, I'm glad."

Boyd snorted, "Well school is what all the cool kids are doing, even werewolves."

Derek smiled and texted Noah to make sure he was going to be home for dinner and asked if he had any requests for dinner, to which Noah asked for hamburgers and fries. Stiles would veto that hard core so Derek just sent a little rolling eyes emoji before he headed to the kitchen to see if there was something he could make that wasn't going to piss Stiles off even more.

Stiles knew he was being a dickhead, listening to the soft murmur of Derek and Boyd's voices downstairs and he clicked through the contacts in his phone and clicked on Scott's name before he could talk himself out of it.

"Hello?" Scott asked on the second ring.

"Hey, Scott. I just wanted to talk to you. Please?"

Scott murmured to someone in the background, there was some rustling then Scott was back and speaking, "What's up?"

"Okay well, I pretty much made an ass of myself with Derek because of something stupid that Jackson said. I just don't know what to do about any of this and I miss you man. I miss you being my first call for gaming and life stuff. Like this is huge life stuff and I—just miss you being here."

Scott snorted, "You seem to be doing just fine, keeping all of them to yourself. Allison, Derek, Lydia. All of them belong to you and I'm on the outside, where you always wanted me to be."

Stiles sighed sadly, his chest clenching at the snide resentment in his friend's voice, "I don't understand why you would think that. I have wanted nothing more than to have my best friend back. I'm sorry for whatever I did to piss you off so badly, I just—I need you man."

Scott let out a bark of humorless laughter and Stiles deflated, "You don't need me anymore man, you have everything I ever wanted and you took it all away from me."

"I didn't take anything away from you. I'm sorry you think that's true but you could have it all too. Please man, just come over or something."

After a moment, Stiles could almost feel Scott weakening then all there was a dial tone. Stiles pulled his phone back and slumped back onto the bed, curling up on his side with the phone clutched in his hands. Scott wouldn't be the one to help him, too bad that was becoming the norm and Stiles wanted to call Allison. He cared about Lydia but she still played the 'mean girl' card a little to well for this one. Allison would get it, maybe.

But then she was supposed to be here for dinner, all he had to do was wait.

And get dressed.

And go make sure that Derek wasn't making something oily for his dad to consume.

Which would mean talking to Derek, Stiles thought with a groan and curled up tighter on the bed, feeling when Echo jumped up and tucked herself at his back facing the door sending a wave of warmth and safety surging through Stiles at the knowledge that she was there and he didn't need to be alone.

Guh, he was being such a girl about this. Stiles had always been a strong believer in waiting until a problem just went away so he stayed in his room until the others started arriving. Jackson was flapping his gums about his truck or something, Allison and Lydia appearing at the door soon after and his dad was going to be home any minute according to the update text from him.

Stiles dragged himself from the bed and dressed in some plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt and walked out of his bedroom just as Allison called up, "Um Stiles, you have a guest?"

Hoping it was maybe Scott, Stiles rushed downstairs and threw open the door, frowning when he saw Erica instead of Scott. "Erica what are you doing here?"

"I came to speak with you about the envelope you gave me earlier."

"Hmm, I wasn't really expecting an answer this quickly, unless you have questions which of course you do. I mean you should have questions, but there is a bunch of people here right now and how did you escape your parents?"

"Can you invite her in and introduce your friend?" Derek asked from behind him, causing Stiles to jump and Echo to yip when he accidental jammed into her.

Stiles reached out and soothed his dog with a hand along her side, "Sorry Echo. Yes please come in, Erica."

She walked inside, handing the envelope back to Stiles as she walked in and looked around. Erica nodded to everyone who was staring at her and Stiles in shock. Stiles cleared his throat, "So everyone, this is Erica Reyes. Erica, this is everyone."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes as she pointed to Derek, "Who are you handsome?"

"Derek Hale," he answered.

Erica reached out and shook his proffered hand. "You were in those photographs, and the news and the Sheriff's station a couple times. See I hear about everything in the hospital, those nurses are pretty chatty but also everyone seems to think the epileptic girl needs all the latest gossip while she's being poked and prodded." Erica rolled her eyes but Stiles wondered how much the complaining was for show, getting the gossip probably made Erica feel like she was a part of this town instead of the shut in her disease made her out to be.

Derek flushed and nodded, "True. I'm hoping to not be there as a person of interest anymore these days though I do seem to be taking food to the Sheriff more often than not. And hopefully no more news broadcasts. Anyway, this is the gang. Vernon Boyd, Allison Argent and Lydia Martin. Jackson Whittemore should be coming anytime now."

Erica grinned, "I know of Lydia and Jackson of course, don't have to go to school to know them though I'm a little surprised you're here or that Jackson is coming here since there has always been a pretty snarling dislike between Stiles and Jackson. And where's Scott?"

Stiles looked away and down at the floor at the mention of Scott's name and Derek coughed before he answered, "Well Scott is a long story and so is the rest of this. Did you have questions about what Stiles gave you?"

Stiles looked up, grateful he wouldn't have to talk about the newest rejection from Scott. He looked at Erica who was staring at him with a frown on her face. Scott was the main reason Stiles met Erica in the first place so she knew he was hiding the big gaping wound of Scott's absence.

"When can we start?" she asked suddenly and turned back to Derek.

The door opened and his dad came in, looking spooked and Stiles groaned, "Now what is it Dad?"

"Derek, maybe you and I should take a walk?" his dad asked instead of answering directly.

"What? No!" Stiles insisted.

Derek frowned at Stiles then the Sheriff, "What's going on Sir?"

"Peter's dead."

Stiles's gaze snapped between Derek and his father in the gaping silence in the aftermath of the statement.


	21. Twisted Truth

Derek stared at Noah in shock. He didn't understand, he'd just barely left Eichen House a couple hours ago, how could his uncle be dead? His head started to shake, denying it. It couldn't be true. How could that have happened? Derek looked at Stiles then back to Noah but his scent was filled with sadness and confusion – there was nothing there to say he was joking. Noah wouldn't joke about that. The man knew about loss, he knew about _Derek's loss._ Stiles's gaze was still on him when Derek's legs buckled and he dropped like a stone to the ground.

His knees thudded painfully against the worn carpet of the living room floor, a second barely passed when Boyd and Allison bookended him, grabbing at his arms to keep him from pitching forward and faceplanting.

"Derek?" Stiles exclaimed but stayed where he was. Allison and Boyd were rubbing his back and shoulder comforting him with their presence and connection. He could feel the slight rumble of their bonds in the back of his head but it wasn't strong enough to really transfer their emotions to him. He didn't think he could deal with the transference anyway. He didn't want to know about Allison relief at Peter's death, or Stiles's for that matter. Peter did a lot of damage, but he was still Derek's uncle.

"Itsa… It's—fine, Stiles maybe you should just answer some questions for Erica while I figure out what I need to do about this with your father."

Stiles nodded then quickly ushered Erica past the group. He paused next to Derek for a moment and rubbed his hand over his alpha's shoulder before walking up the stairs. Echo followed them, whining in distress at the tension in the room but her training determined where her loyalty was. She may be a dog, but Echo was so much more in tune with the people in the pack then some werewolves. She would take care of Stiles, protect him if Derek couldn't be there with him.

Boyd and Allison hauled him to his feet and took Derek over to the couch where he collapsed onto the cushions. Noah followed close behind them and sat down next to him, closer than he normally did with any of the pack members except Stiles for obvious reasons. Derek couldn't make himself stop as he leaned into the man's shoulder. Noah paused before he pressed a hand around Derek's shoulder; his scent was sad and just a little angry though Derek didn't know why.

"It's going to be okay Derek, I'm going to go over there and find out what happened to him. Okay? We're going to figure this out."

Derek shook his head though he didn't know what he was arguing with, "I shouldn't have left him there, I was trying to get him out."

Noah froze, pulling away to stare at Derek with a frown, "Ummm excuse me." Not surprisingly, it wasn't a question almost an accusation, as it should have been since Derek and Stiles didn't tell Noah anything about their plans.

"We needed more power, a stronger pack with all the hunters that moved into town," Derek answered the unspoken question then straightened away from the fatherly concern the sheriff had been willing to hand out, feeling like he shouldn't accept it now when he's done something Noah didn't want them to do especially with what Peter did to Stiles. Derek frowned, "Wait, Argent and his father were there earlier today, they had something to do with this. I know it!"

Noah restrained him lightly, not trapping him because Derek could easily break the man's hold but it was enough to make him stop and look at the Sheriff, "Derek. I promise we are going to figure it out. If Chris and his father went anywhere near Peter we are going to find out and they will be punished to the full extent that the law will allow. I will not let them get away with this. They won't be doing anything without being held to the same standard as everyone else and murder is still punishable by law. No matter what the victim turns into on the night of the full moon."

"Tell that to Kate Argent," Derek muttered and Noah's back stiffened and he moved farther away from Derek.

"If you think for one second that I don't want her behind bars any less than you do, you got another thing coming kiddo."

Derek slumped back into the couch while Allison shoved herself close to his other side offering him guilt free comfort. "No, sir, you're right. I just. Not him too. I know we had our problems and what he did to Stiles was unforgivable but I just can't… I can't… won't…"

Noah leaned over again and pressed a hand to Derek's shoulder and squeezed, "You aren't alone anymore. Okay? I know this just makes it feel more alone but you have Stiles and the Pack and me. Try to remember that."

Derek nodded.

"So, in other news, Erica is here?"

Allison and Boyd both snorted at the change of subject and Derek just nodded, not looking up from his hands. They were shuddering just a little, flashing back to that night when he ripped through the house, aching to get at his family before anymore of them burned. Flashed to the wounds he caused when he dug Laura's grave with his own hands, lowering her into the ground, her blood getting all over him. Getting the wolfsbane on his hands and arms, letting the burn soak into his already charred soul as punishment for surviving again and not being there when Laura needed him. And now Peter. He'd done what he could to keep Peter alive and it was all for nothing. _Nothing!_

His Uncle wasn't perfect, in fact Peter was one of the most disturbed people that Derek was related to and that was before the fire but he was the only one left.

Noah squeezed again, bringing Derek's attention to him just as the Sheriff spoke, "Can we have a minute?" to the others. Allison and Lydia walked upstairs and Boyd followed them after another look aimed at Derek. He could hear them talking as they all piled into Stiles's room and he figured it was as close as they were going to get to privacy. Allison and Boyd would be surrounded by heartbeats and they would be talking to Erica. Derek looked at the Sheriff. Plus they were still nascent enough that they wouldn't be able to hear them.

"I know what Peter did to Stiles, which isn't forgivable but Stiles and I talked about this a lot. We were going to tell you about it tonight. At dinner."

"That's not what I wanted to talk to you about but try and remember that I had been visiting your uncle every week for about a month now. I know he was—is insane and having him out of Eichen House is not ideal but we could have possibly come to an arrangement about it. I don't know if I could really be okay with him being free around my son but there are options. You should have come to me with your plans."

"But he's dead so it doesn't really matter anymore," Derek whispered and Noah gripped his shoulder again.

"I wasn't there when my wife died, Stiles was there. Alone."

Derek turned and looked at the man.

"I needed a break, I took a call to help with this woman. The woman told me to leave, that I was going to miss seeing her one last time. When I got back, Stiles was sitting there and I realized that the woman was talking about Claudia. I missed her last moments, I left Stiles alone when he needed me the most and I was so angry at myself. Not because I didn't listen to the lady that at the time, I assumed she was crazy but because I left Stiles alone."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Its not your fault, not Laura, not Stiles, not Peter. You have to learn to let all this go or at least get some distance from it. I know that you are dealing with a lot, but just remember that being the last Hale doesn't mean you have to be alone. Blood isn't the only family you can have. I'm going to go find out what happened and see that he gets transported to the morgue."

"He can't be autopsied," Derek whispered suddenly remembering that his mother had ways around this sort of thing. It's one of the reasons he buried Laura's body even though it was a bad idea, "No blood samples or anything like that. Werewolf physiology isn't very different but there are indicators and that needs to stay out of files, especially pertaining to a Hale. We already have too much attention thrown our way because of the fire and then Laura's death and my being a 'person of interest' in the case."

Noah nodded, "I will work with Melissa on that. For now, I want you to stay here and talk to the pack. Are you going to turn Erica?"

Derek glanced up towards the stairs then back to Noah, "I was planning to, yes."

"Then I will discuss the 'new meds' cover with Melissa. I wonder if we actually have a doctor in the know but she will be able to at least look at the charts and maybe slip a note into her file about a new treatment or something. I will let you know what she says."

Derek nodded and slumped into the couch as Noah got up and walked back out of the house, opening the door just as Jackson raised his hand to knock. Derek watched as Noah invited the other beta into the house and he caught sight of Derek on the couch, "You rang? Oh Captain, my Captain…" his sarcastic drawl was more pronounced than usual.

Everyone must have heard the coming and going because suddenly there was tromping footsteps on the stairs. Allison was the first to leap over the back of the couch and cuddle into Derek's side. Boyd touched his arm in comfort, leaving a little of his scent there, layered on top of the Sheriff's scent. Stiles sat in one of the other chairs with Erica clinging to his side looking nervous but also a little excited and Derek figured it was because she wasn't alone. Jackson stayed where he was and stared at Lydia who was just staring back.

"Papa Stilinski is going to make sure that no one figures anything out about Peter's death, specifically the unique elements about werewolf blood and so on. But for now, we have a couple of things to discuss."

"What's with the girl?" Jackson demanded and Derek frowned at him.

"Jackson, you sweet talker you," Stiles responded sarcastically and Jackson flipped him off while Erica watched them in fascination. Stiles just continued, "This is Erica Reyes, she knows about werewolves now because we are going to offer her the Bite due to some health concerns that she struggles with. She can strengthen the Pack and she can live a more normal life with this 'treatment'."

Jackson snorted but didn't argue so Derek picked up the conversation.

"Anyway, I spoke to Alpha Ito and she has a couple of suggestions about the hunters that have come to town, she suggested sending some of her wolves on a kind of exchange system as well as Braeden, who Boyd and I met when we were first introduced to Alpha Ito. She is human but she is well versed in werewolf culture and she may be able to help us train and get stronger since she works alongside wolf packs frequently. The Ito wolves will give us some leeway with the Argent hunters because Alpha Ito has a long-time truce with the Argents and if any of her wolves are harmed, there is going to be more ramifications if they do. And as Stiles mentioned, we are going to bring Erica into the fold only if she agrees. We wanted to give her more time to make that decision but the hunters swelling their ranks and the deaths have made the issue a little more time sensitive."

"I want in," Erica blurted and everyone looked at her.

"You need to know what you're getting into," Derek responded, trying to make sure she would be able to get all the answers she needed to really make this call. It already felt to much like manipulation because she hadn't been able to live a normal childhood already but this wouldn't be normal either.

"Stiles was pretty damn straight with me about everything, including what Kate did to both of you. What the actual fuck, by the way. No, I know that I am not going to be wholly human anymore, my life has never been normal and maybe that's making this decision for me but honestly, I would rather fight next to people who are going to care enough about me to help me live with the seizures than just forgetting about me."

Stiles squeezed Erica a little at that.

"That's what pack is all about," Derek murmured, reaching out across the space in between them and taking one of her hands, "I will do what I can to be there for you in the transition and help you anyway I can."

"If this works," Erica started and audibly swallowed, "I could go to school, I could stop having the seizures, I could have friends and I wouldn't be alone anymore? Those are some of the pros, right?"

Derek nodded.

"Then get on the horn with Melissa and sign me up for this 'new treatment' as soon as we can," Erica said with a wink.

Derek smiled at her, squeezing her hand again before leaning back against the couch, "Why don't we get something to eat and watch some Buffy?"

Stiles fist-pumped the air and shoved Erica up gently so he could head to the kitchen and start making some food. Derek invited Erica to resettle on the chair while Boyd got up to help Stiles in the kitchen and Allison gripped Derek's stomach, holding him close.

Erica stared at them, "Are you like a couple or something?"

Allison chuckled, "No, he's my alpha. He's hurting and I wanted to comfort him. This is the best way to do that."

"So, touching is?"

"Nauseating normal? Yes," Jackson inserted. Allison moved her head so she could stick her tongue out at Jackson before she settled her head on Derek's shoulder. Lydia shoved down in the space between Allison and the end of the couch and Erica looked at all of them.

"Is everyone a werewolf here?" she asked.

Derek shook his head, "Jackson was turned by the previous alpha and he's kind of a part time packmate, depending on his mood." Jackson scoffed at that. "Boyd is one of my betas but he was already a werewolf, turned in another town and transferred here for a new start. Allison was turned by another alpha as well, she is one of my betas. Lydia and Stiles are human members of the pack, neither of them wants to be werewolves and that's okay."

"So, you don't have to be a werewolf to be in the pack?" she asked.

"No, in fact many of the members of the Hale Pack were human, some asked for the Bite and others stayed human. There is nothing wrong with being human, though you are probably going to see sooner rather than later that when someone is a human the other pack members tend to be a little more protective. When your situation was first brought to our attention, we wanted you to come into the pack as a human first, get to know us then share the supernatural part of our world. Let you make up your mind more slowly."

"I want to be a werewolf, that's not going to change with time. I want to change my life. I want a chance at life. This thing is just getting worse and it could kill me."

Derek fell silent, thinking of Paige who he'd gotten bitten because he was scared of losing her, of not being acceptable to her unless she was one of them. At least that wasn't true anymore. He had no intention of turning Stiles unless the stubborn human really wanted it. Lydia had never said she wanted it and that was okay. He didn't mind having her around, she was intelligent and it made Stiles feel less alone as the token human in the group.

"The guy who died, he was your uncle?" Erica asked in almost a whisper.

Derek flinched but nodded, "Yeah, he was my only living relative."

Then, out of nowhere she turned towards Jackson, "You know what its like to lose everyone you call family."

Jackson snarled, "What the hell would you know about it?"

"Your parents, they died right? In a car accident? My dad has all the paperwork for the insurance claim that's going to pay out when you turn eighteen. I was home schooled, I snuck onto their email accounts for fun by the time I was thirteen."

"Shut up, you don't know anything about that!" Jackson snapped, his cuspids lengthening in his mouth, making him slur a little. Derek watched as Stiles came in from the kitchen and Boyd pulled him back while Echo stood at his side rumbling a little at the raised voices and the tension.

Derek stood up subtly moving between his wayward beta and the humans in the room, "Jackson, you need to calm down. Control yourself."

He didn't stop shifting, the hair growing out of the side of his face and jaw, his claws popping and he fell into a defensive crouch, facing off with Erica. She just stared at Jackson, not scared by the display of aggression.

"Erica, Stiles and Lydia, you should leave now."

Their newest human just snorted, "No, I don't understand why this guy is being such a prick, you know besides the fact that Jackson Whittemore is known for being a silver-spooned child who got away with whatever he wanted. This is a small enough town that even the girl who has spent half her life in an emergency room knows it."

"Erica, I don't think you understand what's happening here," Stiles warned subtly, keeping his voice low as they all watched Jackson losing control of the shift, then something flashed along the skin of his arms and neck but it didn't stay long enough for Derek to even wonder what it was. It looked like a flash of green, then it was gone. Well he could guess but he didn't think it was possible and anyway, he was trying to keep his possible new beta-to-be from getting eaten by Jackson because apparently, she had horrible self-preservation instincts. No wonder she and Stiles got along.

"Hey!" Stiles said.

"Did I say that out loud?" Derek asked and Stiles glared at him so the alpha shrugged, "Sorry. Not sorry."

Erica spoke, "Oh, get over yourself Whittemore, you are clearly not as badass as you think you are."

Jackson snarled again leaned down like he was going to pounce while Derek flicked his claws and controlled his shifting muscles, hoping he wouldn't have to strike down his beta to protect the others. Then Jackson turned and looked off into the distance, like he could see through the walls. Derek frowned and was about to speak again when the shifted beta took off towards the door, like he'd been called off. Derek pointed to Allison, "Stay here with the others. Boyd, with me."

They took off out the door to follow Jackson who was sprinting towards the woods. He was fast, Derek realized. When did Jackson get so fast? Jackson slipped off into the darkness and Derek took a deep breath and followed the scent trail of his beta for a moment, listening as something took a flying leap into the trees but then before he could even shift course the scent disappeared completely and they stuttered to a halt, shocked.

"What the hell?" Derek asked the sky as he took another deep breath but couldn't catch the continuation of the scent, even in the trees above their heads.

"How is it possible that an untried beta knows how to mask his scent?" Boyd asked.

"I don't know, I didn't think it was possible. Alphas can hide their alpha scent but it takes practice. Jackson can barely hold his beta form, this isn't supposed to be possible. I have said it before that he seems to continually be able to do things that he shouldn't be able to do, like getting drunk and now this."

Boyd shrugged, his hands flopping to his sides as they attempted to reclaim their bearings.

Derek's head snapped off to the left when he heard the sound of something moving across the forest floor again and took off towards the sound, wondering how the hell Jackson shifted his path without them realizing, chasing the sound of a running gait across roots, leaves and grass. They slid into the opening of a valley, just in time to hear the high-pitched whine of the hunters' sonic emitters and stopped again.

"Which way did he go?" Boyd asked, wincing through the sound pushing them to run in the opposite direction just as the hunters would want. Derek knew it all too well from his years of avoiding hunters. He pressed the heel of his hand to the shell of his ear then pointed off to the path to the right. Jackson was running straight towards the hunters.

They had to stop him.

Derek started running again, grimacing at the sound as they continued for another mile or so and slammed into a thick tree trunk as they looked into the clearing in front of them. The clearing where a werewolf that clearly wasn't Jackson with that mop of dark hair was standing in front of none other than Gerard Argent.

Scott had been lured here and he was standing really close to Gerard, something in his hand and the scent of blood fresh in the air but because of the emitter's distinctive whine, they couldn't hear what was being said. Scott was nodding then he pulled back and turned, showing the bleeding spot in his lower belly where Gerard stabbed him then he took off into the woods again with a slight limp as the wound healed, leaving Argent to wipe the blood from the blade and turned off the emitters with a flick of something in his pocket – remote maybe.

"I know you're out there," Gerard said into the strained silence and Boyd gulped audibly but Derek shook his head, continuing to watch the elder hunter. "I know you think you have to listen to your master you have now but that's not all there is. You could be more than someone's creature of justice."

Derek turned to Boyd and whispered, "He's talking to the Kanima I think."

"You could be the greatest weapon that the Argent's have ever laid hands on. And when it's all over, I could put you out of your misery. Just like any other animal. The wolves are going to bring the law into our affairs, well they are not going to start with my daughter. This is war."

Derek watched the man turn and walk towards his car and wondered where Jackson could have gone. He still couldn't smell the beta at all and because Jackson wasn't bonded into his pack currently, Derek couldn't use the faulty link to find him.

When Argent was gone, he turned back to Boyd, "Get back to the house and help Allison keep an eye on everyone. I am going to keep looking for Jackson. He's out here and that means he's in danger. Especially if Gerard is the one who killed Peter, I can't let that happen to Jackson, no matter annoying he is."

Boyd nodded and started loping back towards the Stilinski house as quietly as he could. When his beta was no longer visible or in hearing range Derek quieted his body, taking on meditative breathing so he could consider the woods around him. This was his place, his playground and no one knew it better than him. No one still living anyway. Derek heard movement above his head again and took off towards the sound, following it despite the lack of scent. If he followed the Kanima then he could make sure that Jackson wasn't harmed by the creature.

The creature took another sharp turn back towards town and it wasn't until they burst out of the trees that he realized they were close to where Jackson lived. Derek looked up at the top of the nearby houses and caught sight of the lizard creature hopping almost silently from roof to roof. Derek followed it, slipping between houses and staying in the shadows, wondering the scenting ability of the creature. He didn't really remember anything about that in the Bestiary information he received but since the Kanima didn't stop, it either didn't know it was being followed or it didn't care.

The second option was definitely more terrifying than the first. If it was on a mission from its Master then nothing was going to keep it from killing someone. Another death on the hands of the creature. Then it sped up and disappeared from sight.

"Shit!" Derek snapped and took off in the direction it was going, that's all he could do. He needed to take out the Kanima before it killed someone else. If the stories were true then the Kanima wasn't at fault but he couldn't let it keep killing people.

He drew close enough to one of the houses where people were shouting and altered his course since one of the screams was filled with pain and fear. When he was close enough to hear their words, Derek realized someone was screaming at their kid about chores and it didn't have anything to do with the Kanima and he was about to carry on when he heard a sharp snap of palm on skin and the door opened. The teen stumbled out of the front door and Derek moved out of sight as the father came charging out of the house behind the young man.

"Isaac, get back here and clean up this mess right now!" the other man yelled and the kid, Isaac presumably, shook his head. He looked around, like he was hoping to catch sight of someone to help him when the other man grabbed Isaac by the curly dirty blond mop of hair and started dragging the boy back inside.

Derek snuck closer to the house, he couldn't just walk away from such blatant child abuse. Though he didn't know what he could do, maybe knock on the door and ask for sugar so the man was distracted from harming his kid. People did that in small towns, borrow things from their neighbors. Maybe it would work. Derek recognized the teen from school. It was possible that it was the same Isaac that Stiles was cursing about who was friends with Scott. All the more reason to try and keep him unharmed.

Derek was about to knock when he heard a tinny phone ring and then a very familiar voice answered, _"Isaac? What's up man?"_ Scott asked, which clarified that this was the Isaac that Scott was friends with. He was about to turn around and leave since the yelling had stopped.

"My dad's really bad off this time, I need out of here. Can I come over?" Isaac asked, voice shuddering.

 _"My mom is going to be home in about fifteen minutes, we can come get you."_

"Can you get here faster?" Isaac whispered as something else crashed nearby and the father started screaming again.

"Who are you talking to! You have school tomorrow, you're not going anywhere! Get downstairs!"

Derek wondered why 'Get downstairs' sounded so bad when something scrapped across glass nearby, maybe a window and Derek opened his senses to the house he was still standing in front of. He shifted to look through a window, watching as the father and son stopped, shifted to stare at something at the other end of the house so Derek moved to knock on the door. Taking a chance.

Derek heard them turn towards the front door at his knock sounded in the silence then there was a loud crash of a window and a sudden scream from the father as Isaac shouted for Scott who was possibly still on the phone. Derek burst through the front door, but the creature was faster. Isaac moved to run but the Kanima swiped its deep claws across the teenager's stomach and shoved him out of the way while Derek rushed out just in time to catch Isaac and set him down gently. The Kanima chased the father and with a slash of claws the older man fell in the next room. Derek pressed a hand to Isaac's torn stomach, trying to stem the bleeding and watched as the kid stared up at him, saying and doing nothing.

"I can't feel anything," he whispered. "I'm going to die, aren't I?"

Derek frowned, "No. You're not. It's the creature's ability to paralyze with its claws... I need to stop the creature."

"Let it end this. I don't care," Isaac returned neutrally. "If I'm gone then he can't hurt me anymore and we're all dead then we can see Camden again. We are all better off being together."

Derek heard the father panting in the other room, crying out as the Kanima circled his prone body. He gently put Isaac's head on the ground and got up, rushing into the other room and shifted into his beta shift in motion allowing the change to spur him on. Derek felt the pull of his pack, helping him and keeping him centered as he slammed into the Kanima who turned and screeched at him. Derek flashed his eyes and the creature hissed again and turned to finish the job.

"Don't!" Isaac shouted from the other room then started hacking and it sounded wet. Derek couldn't be in two places at once and the Kanima was focused on the father so he couldn't leave the room. Derek rushed the creature and shoved it back into a wall, listening to the hissing sounds it made but the impact did nothing to slow the Kanima and it flipped Derek back onto the ground without breaking a sweat.

"Isaac?" Scott yelled as he came in the front of the house and the Kanima turned to him. Scott still had a blood spot on his shirt from the altercation with Gerard and he rushed over to Isaac on the ground, shoving his hand down on the wound on Isaac's chest which seemed to be expelling more and more blood then Derek noticed before. Derek struggled to get up when the Kanima lifted him and threw him into the opposite wall and rounded on the father as Derek hit the ground.

He couldn't get up fast enough to stop any of it.

Scott suddenly rushed the creature growling and shifted and the creature swiped his claws across Scott's shoulder, just barely missing his throat as Derek tried to push himself off the floor, seeing the hit out of the corner of his eye. The Kanima moved over to the prone body of the father again and there was a choked scream as the last strike was administered and Derek got to his feet as Isaac's dad gave one final scream of pain as the creature jammed his claws into the man and eviscerated him quickly and the sound of the flesh tearing was not something Derek was going to forget anytime soon.

"Stop it!" Scott shouted from the ground, listening to the sounds and Derek struggled through the haze of pain to move over to Isaac again. Scott wasn't going to die but the wounds on Isaac were apparently bad enough that the pool of blood around him was growing and his breathing was labored.

"Is my dad dead?" Isaac whispered, then coughed and little bit of blood-soaked spittle clung to the corner of his mouth.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I wasn't fast enough," Derek whispered.

"It's okay, maybe the Lahey's will have a better chance in the next life."

Derek had never really been around someone who was hurt badly enough to think they were dying but he didn't think it would be normal for him to be this calm. Paige was calm but not in the beginning, that calm had come much later.

Derek turned back and watched as the Kanima stared down at it's handiwork for a moment then turned back to Scott. Derek moved again, as quickly as he could to get between the creature and Scott, "No more! Just stop!" He shouted, his eyes flashing red, just reacting with the show of power even though he didn't think it would do anything to the Kanima, not when it already had a Master.

The Kanima paused, tilting his head in canine confusion adding to Derek's confusion.

Derek stood tall, "You have done enough damage in this town! Just. Stop!"

The creature hissed at Derek but stopped again, confused then it straightened and something happened to the Kanima's features.

The creature just stared at Derek for a moment, the green scales starting to shift back into more human features. The nose popped out from the reptilian nostril holes, ears popped outwards and hair started growing from its head. It took about thirty seconds before Derek started to recognize him.

He stared in shock as Jackson's features came through and he took his bloody fingers that still flashed that scaling and rubbed red lines down his face and licked a little from his finger before he spoke. His voice sounded like multiple people talking, echoing out through his mouth, "I am justice, I serve death to those who deserve it. Don't get in my way."

Derek continued to stare in disbelief as Jackson, who still had a tail and flashing scales, rushed out through the open front door and was gone in a second, faster than even the werewolf that he was supposed to be.

Jackson.

Was.

The Kanima.

How was any of this possible?

"Derek, I can't move," Scott whimpered from the ground and he tried to shake off the shock of discovery as Derek dropped next to the teenager.

"Kanima paralyzes its victims, it will wear off, the cut is already healing. I have to get back to Isaac, he's hurt bad." He paused and patted Scott's chest awkwardly, still imagining the blank stare of Jackson's face which Scott didn't see and he wasn't going to tell the teenager, "I'm sorry about your friend."

"He's still alive," Scott gritted out.

Derek listened and nodded, Isaac's heart was pumping though it was starting to sound sluggish and his breathing was getting more difficult. "He doesn't have a lot of time. I need to call some help for him. I was tracking Jackson, then I found the Kanima. I tried to stop it."

Scott took a deep breath and husked out, "Turn Isaac, you can save him. Please?"

"He can't agree to it. I won't turn someone without consent."

"Isaac is dying, trust me, being a werewolf has to be preferable to that."

Derek knew it was possible, the Bite could save him but the kid was still going to need medical attention. He nodded though he was still unsure about it, picked up the phone and called 911, wishing he could make sure to get the Sheriff but he didn't want to ask for Noah, making this harder for the man. Isaac needed help now. He reported the address and that he'd heard shouting and screaming while on an evening run and found the Lahey's like they were. It looked like an animal attack. Isaac had a friend over who couldn't move but he seemed to be otherwise unharmed.

Then he walked back over to Isaac and moved the ripped t-shirt away from the ribcage where the claw marks were deepest, shifted into his alpha shift which elongated his jaw and tightened the space of his teeth into something more like a wolf than a man. He made sure his jaws were wide enough to do the job, Derek leaned in close and pressed his teeth into the skin under Isaac's heart and bit down hard, his mouth filling with blood.

It made him gag but he held on long enough to push that desire to make someone like him into the Bite. He shook his head a little, making the wound ragged so it would be harder to identify and more like an attack rather than this 'perfect bite' mark.

He jerked away and shifted back into his human form and wiped his mouth on the bottom of his dark shirt, trying not to spit all the blood on the floor. He couldn't afford to leave blood patches that would lead them back to something else. Lead them back to him instead of an animal.

Then he ripped the kid's t-shirt even more and started syphoning the pain away from the boy. Derek wished he could go rinse out his mouth but he didn't want to leave Isaac who was still unconscious but breathing.

He pushed past the limitations on his abilities, trying to connect with the great well of 'other' he'd accessed with Stiles back when he'd been alone and a beta. When his pack mate was hurt on the lacrosse field and Derek had been desperate to wake him, something had happened. He needed that to happen again, for this kid now.

Scott was still whimpering and breathing, he sounded like he was trying not to cry. Derek stayed where he was, crooning words of comfort to Scott he stayed there, holding an extra towel over the bleeding wound, tears on his lashes, thinking about Peter and Paige. Thinking about the kid's dad in the other room and his wayward beta who was apparently a lot more lost than Derek ever imagined possible. How could it possibly be Jackson? It wasn't possible but clearly it was.

When the police arrived, Derek was glad it was the Sheriff who helped Derek to his feet while Isaac, Scott and Isaac's dad were all lifted out of the house and into ambulances. Derek sat in the front of the cruiser on the drive, staring at the blood on his hands as Noah called the house and told them what he could and Derek told them the rest in stilted sentences.

It was too much.

Once again, nothing would ever be the same again.


End file.
